After being away from the news cycle for a few months, San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk is back after he hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent him. As a result, Aiyuk looks ready to return to playing football, but will that be with the Niners?
Aiyuk will need to apply for reinstatement, given that he’s on the reserved/left squad list. Nonetheless, once he does apply for reinstatement, the question will be what the 49ers, who are thin at wide receiver, decide to do: Cut him or keep him.
For 49ers reporter Grant Cohn, he would like both sides to work out their differences, given that San Francisco does need receiver help and Aiyuk knows the offense and wouldn’t need time to pick it up.
“I would [like to see Aiyuk back on the 49ers],” Cohn said in a Nov. 3 video from his YouTube channel. “I don’t think he’s a bad person. I think he did some stupid stuff, and I think the Niners pushed him to the edge. I feel like both people could really redeem themselves.
“Wouldn’t it be a great story if they worked it out after all this, he came back, played well, and was a big figure on this team down the stretch? It would be huge. Iggy, imagine this: They go to the Super Bowl. It’s Super Bowl week, he’s on the team, and he’s helped bring them to the Super Bowl. He would be a media story.”
Why Niners Should Be Open to Welcoming Brandon Aiyuk
Moreover, Cohn argued why the 49ers should be welcoming back Aiyuk despite all that’s gone on in the open for the public to see and behind closed doors between the player and the team.
“Their biggest need is a wide receiver. We talked about it. Without Mike Evans, they’re the best team in football. Without him, they just lost to the Falcons, who are awful. So, I mean, also with a number one receiver, Brock Purdy looks like the MVP. Without him, he just looks like another quarterback who needs a good receiver and we’ve seen him with Brandon Aiyuk before.
“The alternative is to trade two, three, or four first-round picks to the Jets for Garrett Wilson, who was about as good as Brandon Aiyuk was before he tore his ACL.”
49ers Insider Cast Doubt on Potential Garrett Wilson Trade
Speaking of the New York Jets‘ Garrett Wilson, while trading for Wilson will give the 49ers a No. 1 wideout for the foreseeable future and a good pairing with Mike Evans for QB Brock Purdy, 49ers reporter for NBC Sports Bay Area, Matt Maiocco, doesn’t see that type of move happening.
“The player I’ve heard fans clamoring for, who would be along the lines of Jeffery Simmons, but on the other side of the ball, is wide receiver Garrett Wilson,” Maiocco said during an Oct. 29 appearance on KNBR. “You would have to give up a lot because he’s under contract for a while, but he’s also under contract at a salary of around $30 million a year.
“I think the 49ers could do something similar to what they did last year in acquiring Keion White, where you don’t necessarily know too much about the player, but he’s on a fixed salary for this year and next. Maybe he’s fallen out of favor or doesn’t fit a new coach’s scheme. I could see something like that happening.”
49ers Get Strong Message After Brandon Aiyuk Hires Drew Rosenhaus