Getty San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk
The San Francisco 49ers‘ looming salary cap issues could be addressed by the team trading away wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk is due for a huge pay increase, but the 49ers WR is now being linked to a trade with the Houston Texans.
San Francisco is already committed to $28.57 million for WR Deebo Samuel in 2024. This is not to mention the huge cap hits from players like DE Nick Bosa and RB Christian McCaffery. Something’s got to give, and Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks Aiyuk could be traded accordingly.
“Aiyuk is an interesting name, because he has the No. 1 role and appears to have a great relationship with the team and the quarterback. The problem is that the 49ers are already paying Deebo Samuel like a top option… Aiyuk still has a season left on his contract, which means the team could let the situation ride, but they would be hurting the receiver’s trade value and diminishing their return,” Ballentine writes.
The proposal states that the 49ers could receive a 2024 first-round pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. That’s a big haul for a player with one year left in his deal.
Essentially, San Francisco has three options. They can pay Aiyuk this upcoming offseason, trade him or keep him for 2024 before letting him test free agency the year after.
Aiyuk Having Best Year Yet
Any doubts about Aiyuk’s ability have been comprehensively addressed this season. Aiyuk had shown improvement in each of his NFL seasons, but the 2023 campaign has been on a different level.
With three games left to play, Aiyuk has already set new career bests for receiving yards and longest catch. At 1090 yards through 13 appearances, the former Arizona State star is averaging 83.8 yards per game.
According to PFR, his 18.5 yards per catch leads the NFL among qualified receivers. Aiyuk has solidified himself as the 49ers’ top deep threat, allowing Deebo and tight end George Kittle to focus on the routes underneath.
Finding a player like Aiyuk is not easy, which is why San Francisco should be cautious about trading him. However, their committed spending means they may not have much of a choice.
ESPN Insider Speaks on 49ers, Aiyuk
Ballentine’s proposal is spinning off a recent article from ESPN’s Dan Graziano, who believes Aiyuk could be dealt. When prompted about potential veteran trades, Graziano thinks Aiyuk is one of several receivers who could be on the move.
“Aiyuk is a brilliant talent whom the 49ers would love to keep, but he’s due for a contract extension, and they can’t keep everyone,” Graziano explained.
As Heavy’s Sean Deveney wrote up, San Francisco is currently projected to be $7.5 million over the cap in 2023. That’s already a sizable chunk that will require significant moves to reduce.
Keeping top players is important, but it’s sometimes not viable. Considering the 49ers are already “working on credit” with the salary cap, they don’t have much room to budge. Whether or not Aiyuk is part of those adjustments will be a critical talking point of the 2024 offseason.