The trade watch for beleaguered San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is well underway.
Aiyuk has hardly played the past two seasons due to injuries, and strains amid prior contract talks have only made things more challenging between the two sides. That said, the 49ers have another high priority in the trade market in addition to Aiyuk, as Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton sees it.
“The San Francisco 49ers’ no-brainer trade candidate is Brandon Aiyuk after general manager John Lynch’s public statement that the wide receiver has played his last snap with the team,” Moton wrote. “Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group reported that the 49ers are expected to trade or release Aiyuk by ‘summer’s end.'”
“If San Francisco considers a less obvious player to trade, it should be quarterback Mac Jones,” Moton added.
Moton has touted Jones as a trade option for before and ranked him as the No. 1 backup quarterback in the league as a trade option. That’s despite the fact that the 49ers don’t have a big-name backup quarterback beyond Jones.
Kurtis Rourke and Adrian Martinez have yet to play NFL snaps. San Francisco could resolve that problem, even with a Jones trade.
Moton emphasizes that this is the prime time for the 49ers to trade Jones, and the analyst breaks down why the team ought to go that route.
Breaking Down Mac Jones as a Trade Candidate
The 49ers already let one improved former backup, Sam Darnold, just walk in free agency, and he went on to win a Super Bowl with NFC West rival Seattle.
Jones isn’t likely to replicate Darnold’s success, but timing is the consideration here. Here’s Moton’s breakdown of why the 49ers should trade Jones.
“In a backup role, Jones is coming off his best season since his 2021 Pro Bowl rookie campaign with the New England Patriots,” Moton wrote. “He filled in for Brock Purdy, who missed several games due to injury, and led the 49ers to five wins in eight starts, throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions with a 69.6 percent completion rate.”
“Purdy has been banged up in the regular season and in the playoffs,” Moton added. “So, the 49ers shouldn’t be aggressive in an attempt to trade Jones. However, Jones’ trade value isn’t going to peak beyond what it is right now unless he sees the field for a significant number of snaps this year.”
“Moreover, Jones will be a free agent in 2027. The 49ers could offer him a lucrative deal to stay, but he may want to find a starting job elsewhere,” Moton continued. “San Francisco committed to Purdy with a five-year, $265 million extension last offseason. If a team offers the 49ers a second-round pick for their backup signal-caller who’s in the final year of his contract, they should consider the deal.”
The Brock Purdy Factor
As Moton mentioned, Jones’ success in relief of Purdy, the 49ers need to exercise caution as the analyst mentioned.
Purdy enters his fifth season, and he has yet to play a full 17 games. While 2023 was the exception with 16 games for Purdy due to playoff seeding being locked up, Purdy has dealt with injuris in every season of his career.
If the 49ers want to keep Super Bowl aspirations going strong, the team needs a strong backup quarterback. Trading away Jones will necessitate bringing in another high-caliber backup and possibly at a similar cost.
49ers Urged to Make Another Trade Besides Brandon Aiyuk