The San Francisco 49ers are now at a crossroads with star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. With their leading wide receiver formally requesting a trade, they have to either pay him now, trade him or go a year without him.
But it appears that the second option was very much available to the 49ers in trade offers prior to the 2024 NFL Draft in April.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, there were five NFL teams that were ready to trade for and extend Aiyuk before the draft in one fell swoop. Florio kept the names of those five alleged teams hidden.
“I’m told there were five teams that were ready to go and give him what he wanted, what the 49ers wouldn’t give him,” Florio said on the Pat McAfee Show, via 49erswebzone.com. “But they couldn’t work out a deal with the 49ers for a trade. And from the 49ers’ perspective, this is where it gets a little screwy. You’ve got five other teams that were willing to pay him what he wants and give you something to get him. Why won’t you just pay him what he wants?
“So he’s taken the stand now. He’s asked to be traded. We’ll see if he shows up for camp.”
Ironically, the 49ers’ decision to neither extend nor trade Aiyuk will likely result in a higher price tag if they do wind up extending him. Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson recently signed a four-year extension worth an average of $35 million per year, increasing the market even further.
Will the 49ers reach a new deal with Aiyuk?
Related: Breaking: Brandon Aiyuk Officially Requests Trade From 49ers