A new report shed some light on why the San Francisco 49ers did not make a rumored draft day trade including Brandon Aiyuk and the massive return they hoped for.
Heading into last week’s 2024 NFL Draft, there was much speculation about the 49ers possibly trading either Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk. The former received a huge extension last year and the latter is looking for a massive pay increase once his rookie contract expires after this season. The team can’t afford both and rumors have swirled about a deal for weeks.
The discourse only intensified heading into Day 2 of the event after San Francisco used their selection in Round 1 to draft Florida star Ricky Pearsall as the eventual replacement for either receiver. However, Day 2 came and went and surprisingly a deal never materialized despite rumored calls from the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and Washington Commanders.
Well, it seems the San Francisco 49ers were looking for a huge return in a trade for Aiyuk that apparently no team came close to matching.
San Francisco 49ers wanted a top-10 pick in a Brandon Aiyuk trade
“Teams have inquired about Aiyuk’s availability as far back as March 2023,” according to ESPN 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner. “The Niners rebuffed those overtures then, and when the subject was mentioned this year, they would have considered trading him only if they got an offer that was too good to refuse.
“When it became clear that the 49ers weren’t open to any deal involving Aiyuk that didn’t put them in position to pick one of the draft’s top three receivers — Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze, who were picked at Nos. 4, 6 and 9, respectively — no trade materialized and all eyes turned to Samuel.”
Related: San Francisco 49ers draft picks 2024 – 49ers draft grade, pick-by-pick analysis
After Pearsall was drafted, Aiyuk reportedly sent 49ers general manager John Lynch a text praising the move, which some see as a sign that contract extension talks between him and the team may be progressing. It is another sign that seems to point to Deebo Samuel being the odd man out if a trade is made this offseason.
