The NFL has become a more offense-centric league. Over the last few years, the sport has gradually taken that turn, and teams today are more efficient than ever before. With that offensive boom has come a need for quality playmakers on every team’s roster.
As a result, a superstar wide receiver, even coming off of a down year, is acquiring interest from multiple teams about his availability. We’re of course talking about former All-Pro selection Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers.
San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver Drawing Interest From Teams
Aiyuk has been with San Francisco since being drafted with the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. In that timeframe, he’s become a key component of the squad and even earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2023.
But, last offseason, murmurings of a dispute between the player and team emerged, which turned into a long-drawn-out negotiation for his new contract. Eventually, the 49ers acquiesced and gave him a four-year, $120 million extension.
However, with the team missing the playoffs entirely and Aiyuk having a down season alongside a major injury, teams are wondering if the 26-year-old might be up for grabs.
“Brandon Aiyuk is a player that a lot of teams had interest in before he signed that deal last year, remember he signed that four-year, $120 million deal? There’s some teams poking around now to see if the 49ers would be willing to deal Brandon Aiyuk,” Dianna Russini said on her “Scoop City” podcast.
With Deebo Samuel demanding a trade, moving on from their top two wide receivers would leave San Francisco’s depth looking barren. As a result, it seems like the team will stick with Aiyuk, at least for the time being.
After a monstrous 2023 season, Aiyuk didn’t come to the party with a lot of juice. Averaging under 55 yards a game, he only had 374 yards through his seven games played last season. Additionally, his endzone presence disappeared, as he did not record a single touchdown.
Those numbers might give some teams pause. But, the dynamic receiver is just one year removed from a dominant 2023 campaign, totaling 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Averaging nearly 18 yards per attempt, his playmaking was off the charts.
However, with an average annual rate of $30 million, it might be a significant blow to any team’s salary cap to go after him. Young teams with cap room to spare like the New England Patriots might be the primary target if he does indeed get moved.