49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk recently requested a trade. Even so, before the project, commercial negotiations were taking place.
The negotiations occurred not because Aiyuk wanted out, but because the 49ers invited his representatives to explore whether another team would pay Aiyuk what he wanted on a long-term deal.
At the time, the magic number was around US$28 million per year. That has possibly changed, given the market-shifting deal given by the Vikings to receiver Justin Jefferson.
Regardless, we were told there were five teams that were ready to pay Aiyuk what he wanted before the draft. If they were also able to reach acceptable trade terms with the 49ers, he would have been traded.
That part didn’t happen. It’s unclear what the 49ers wanted at the time. They rejected the Patriots’ offer of a second-round pick. Other interested teams were, and potentially still are, the Steelers and Commanders.
A post-draft trade becomes problematic for the 49ers unless someone can offer a current player who will help the 49ers win in 2024. If the best offer includes 2025 draft picks, the 49ers could be tempted to take a hard line on Aiyuk, demanding he complete the final year of his rookie contract in the first round of 2020 and then possibly tagging and trading him after the season.
Much of what happens depends on how firm Aiyuk will be in his trade request. Will he hold up outside of training camp? Will he remain in the regular season, arriving in time for credit in 2024 and setting the stage for a 2025 exit?
