Getty San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is hinting at wanting out of San Francisco, which is why the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs have been dubbed as one of the top trade destinations for Aiyuk.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes the Chiefs’ offense would “explode” with Aiyuk in their lineup, and proposed that Kansas City send a 2024 first-round pick and second-round pick to San Francisco in exchange for Aiyuk.
“Kansas City could certainly use a receiver of Aiyuk’s caliber,” Knox wrote on February 15. “While Rashee Rice flashed as a rookie, the Chiefs still lack a proven No. 1 wideout. Tight end Travis Kelce has filled that role in the two years since Tyreek Hill was traded, but Kelce will also turn 35 in October.
“The Chiefs would likely have no trouble selling Aiyuk on their situation. They still have Patrick Mahomes under center and offensive guru Andy Reid on the sideline. While Aiyuk might not possess the raw speed of Hill, it’s not hard to envision him having similar production in Kansas City’s offense.”
What to Know About Brandon Aiyuk
Aiyuk, 25, was a first-round pick — 25th overall — in 2020 out of Arizona State.
During his first two seasons in the NFL, Aiyuk’s production was good but not great. He caught 60 receptions on 96 targets for 748 yards and 5 touchdowns in 12 regular season games played during his rookie year, according to Pro Football Reference. In year 2 in the NFL, he caught 56 passes on 84 targets for 826 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Aiyuk registered his first 1,000-yard season during the 2022 season when he caught 78 of 114 targets for 1,015 yards and 8 touchdowns.
The 2023 season is when Aiyuk fully broke out, however. With second-year quarterback Brock Purdy as the 49ers’ full-time starter, Aiyuk caught 75 of 105 targets for 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns in 16 regular season games played.
During San Francisco’s recent postseason run that ended with a loss to the Chiefs in the 2024 Super Bowl, Aiyuk caught 9 of 20 targets for 149 yards and 1 touchdown in 3 games played.
Standing at 6-foot and weighing 200 pounds, Aiyuk uses elite explosiveness off the line of scrimmage and when working through his routes to get open. He’s not able to run away from defenders often (ran a 4.5 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine) yet his savviness as a route-runner allows him to pull away from defenders to give his QB an open throwing lane.
Aiyuk also possesses the ability to play multiple receiver roles. During his NFL career, he has played 75.3% of his snaps out wide and 24.6% in the slot, according to PFF.
Would Brandon Aiyuk Fit With Chiefs?
From a scheme perspective, Aiyuk would make a lot of sense for Kansas City’s offense. Head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy could scheme up Aiyuk to be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, and he would be quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘s first true alpha receiver since Tyreek Hill was in town.
The biggest obstacle the Chiefs would have to overcome would be Aiyuk’s contract. He has one year remaining on his rookie deal, and his 2024 cap hit is $14.1 million, per Spotrac. The problem is that Aiyuk will likely be seeking a contract extension this offseason, and Spotrac calculated his market value at four years and $91.9 million. That’s an average annual value of $22.9 million.
Yes, the Chiefs didn’t want to pay up for Hill two years ago which is why they traded him. But Hill was asking for more money than what Spotrac values Aiyuk at (Aiyuk’s real-life value could be more or less, but Spotrac’s market value is in the range of outcomes).
So, it’s in the realm of possibility that the Chiefs — if they traded for him — would be willing to give Aiyuk a contract extension that fetches him $20+ million per year.
Per Spotrac, Kansas City will have $23.7 million in available cap space this offseason, which would give the team plenty of financial room for Aiyuk.