NFL exec suggests deep draft class may entice 49ers to trade Brandon Aiyuk

Following the blockbuster trade that sent receiver Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills to the Houston Texans, some have wondered if San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk could be next.

Aiyuk and the 49ers have been stalemated in a contract negotiation, and if the two sides don’t agree to a new deal soon, it’s possible San Francisco could trade the 26-year-old WR ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, according to a league executive.

“Aiyuk is so integral to what they do, more so than Deebo Samuel is, that I’d try to get something done with him before Justin Jefferson and these other receivers get deals and the price goes up,” an anonymous NFL exec told The Athletic. “Because this is a deep receiver draft, they may try to do it in reverse. If there is something they can get done from a draft standpoint, then it could be moving Aiyuk or knowing their feet are to the fire and they have to extend him.”

To the executive’s point, it would behoove the 49ers to get Aiyuk’s extension done before Minnesota does Jefferson’s. Spotrac projects his market value at $29.4 million per season, which would put him right behind Miami’s Tyreek Hill ($30M per year) as the second-highest paid WR in the NFL.

Aiyuk’s market value is around $24 million per season, which would tie him with Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf and Diggs as the fifth-highest paid receivers, but that number could go up based on what Minnesota gives Jefferson.

The 49ers currently have just $6.7M in cap space, so extending Aiyuk isn’t without its challenges. Which is why trading him (when his trade value is at its peak) and drafting his replacement would make sense financially for San Francisco.

The 2024 draft class is loaded at receiver with as many as 10 players who could go in Round 1. While finding a player to step in as a rookie and do everything Aiyuk does is a near impossible task, there are some wideouts like LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., South Carolina’s Xavier Legette and Texas’ Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy who fit the 49ers offensive scheme and could make seamless transitions.

All options are likely on the table, but the 49ers have remained steadfast their preference is to keep Aiyuk for the long term.