49ers Trade Idea Swaps Struggling Brandon Aiyuk for $140 Million All-Pro WR

Getty Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s been a rough start to the 2024 regular season for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

After signing a four-year, $120 million contract extension on August 30, the fifth-year wideout has struggled to make an impact on offense. So far through four games, Aiyuk has 13 receptions on 25 targets for 167 yards (12.8 yards per catch). A second-team All-Pro in 2023 after hauling in 75 passes for a career-high 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, Aiyuk hasn’t gained more than 48 yards in a game yet this season.

Meanwhile, over in Las Vegas, three-time All-Pro WR Davante Adams has requested to be traded from the Raiders according to NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, who reported the news via X on October 1.

The 49ers already paid Aiyuk top money for his services, but would a trade swap for Adams be a feasible idea? Sanjesh Singh of NBC Sports thinks it’s a distant possibility, naming the Niners as an “honorable mention” trade candidate for the Raiders superstar.

What Might a Davante Adams-for-Brandon Aiyuk Trade Swap Look Like for 49ers, Raiders?

If the Raiders were to trade for Aiyuk, they’d be tied to him longer than they would have been to Adams, should he leave.

Adams is in the third year of the five-year, $140 million deal he signed with Las Vegas, although there is a potential out for whichever team he plays for in 2025, after his $67 million in guaranteed money has been paid. That makes Adams a player the 49ers might be interested in acquiring, as his deal has more wiggle room to get out of in the future.

“The 49ers couldn’t add any more stars, could they? They could, but they’d have to lose one in the process,” Singh wrote. “Aiyuk eventually stayed in the Bay Area but so far isn’t living up to the price tag, recording just 13 catches, 167 yards and no touchdowns. An Adams acquisition could give the 49ers a hungry, proven wideout looking for a ring while the Raiders receive a younger cornerstone piece who is tied down for multiple years.”

It’s an intriguing idea, but it’s not something the Niners are likely going to pursue. Besides, it’s rumored Adams may want to play elsewhere.

Adams Rumored to Favor NY Jets, New Orleans Saints

According to ESPN, “Two NFL teams high on Davante Adams’ wish list of places to land if he’s traded — if not at the very top — are the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints.”

That’s not surprising, considering two of Adams’ former QBs, Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers, are with the Saints and Jets, respectively. Adams made the Pro Bowl six times out of the nine years he played with Carr and Rodgers combined. One team may have the edge, though.

“The Saints are a team to watch for Davante Adams….they think they are close,” former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel wrote on X on October 2.

While an Adams-for-Aiyuk trade swap isn’t an impossibility, the Niners have a younger option in Aiyuk, whose rust is likely the result of a missed training camp and preseason due to his contract holdout. He’s off to a slow start to be sure, but that’s not exactly a trade-worthy offense.