As they should….
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was as straightforward as he could be Monday when he broached the subject of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk: “We want him to be a part of the 49ers for the rest of his career.”
After Lynch said he didn’t want to discuss Aiyuk’s business publicly, the local media asked seven consecutive questions about Aiyuk. As you’d expect, Lynch gave out little detail.
Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle believes an Aiyuk trade is very much alive, in his recent column:
Based on what I’m hearing from knowledgeable sources inside the building and from high-ranking personnel executives and coaches around the league, don’t rule out a deal that would send Brock Purdy’s favorite target to another team.
All I know is that as of Monday night, when I posed the question to a 49ers source with direct knowledge of the team’s plans, the words I kept hearing were, “Anything’s possible.”
Earlier, I spoke to another team’s general manager who insisted that, because the 49ers and Aiyuk are far apart on negotiations for a lucrative contract extension, the fifth-year receiver is “very much in play.”
During the first week of April, the 49ers — through a backchannel confidant — reached out to at least one GM to gauge his interest in trading for Aiyuk. The GM in question chose not to engage, partly because this is considered a receiver-rich draft.
There is a sense among other high-ranking personnel executives around the league that Aiyuk, as one such executive put it, “is available for the right price.” To this point, the 49ers have asked for a 2024 first-round pick. “They want too much,” said the executive, whose team is in the market for a receiver.
However, another team’s GM said he believes the 49ers might ultimately accept a second-round selection. Such a deal might become more enticing to Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan if that pick were near the start of the second round and packaged with another selection — say, a 2025 third-rounder.
The business side would argue you got the most out of Aiyuk’s rookie contract, and you flipped him for a draft pick instead of paying him over market value. Then, you draft his replacement and play the same game for the next four years.
The football side begs to differ. We are talking about a 26-year-old coming off a career year in which he still wasn’t among the top wideouts in the NFL. Instead, Aiyuk was the most efficient and effective target on a down-to-down basis. How much better could the player you traded up for be when you give him the targets he deserves?
Moving Aiyuk for a second-rounder would feel like a loss. If he goes for a first-round pick, you have the fifth-year option for a player. You’re also likely getting your crack at one of the better wideouts in the draft. You roll the dice that premium talent will be pushed down to you in the second round.
Culture, fit, talent, age—everything about Aiyuk and what he’s accomplished since entering the NFL says you should reward him with a new contract. But it’s a business, and decisions must be made in conjunction with the salary cap. Still, the 49ers aren’t better this year or next year with No. 11 on a different roster.