Despite rumors that star receiver Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk could be on the trade block, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch made it clear on Friday that he has no interest in moving either player.
There has been a lot of speculation about the futures of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk on the 49ers roster. The latter is a fast-rising star in the league who is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is looking for a massive pay raise soon. The former is a battle-tested elite receiver who is locked into a huge contract for the next two seasons.
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Both have value around the league for different reasons and there have been reports linking Aiyuk to a pair of teams in the Northeast and Samuel to the Bills in recent days. It seems like it is in the 49ers’ best interest to move one of them now so they can get a solid return and address the salary cap reckoning on the horizon.
The organization created more speculation about an impending trade in Round 1 of the NFL Draft when they drafted Florida Gators star Ricky Pearsall with their top pick this year. However, on Friday San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch proclaimed he is not trying to move either and was thrilled to add to the strength of the team on Thursday night.
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“We didn’t entertain any of that today,” Lynch said The Mercury News. “We’re happy with our wide receiver group. Actually, more than happy. We’re thrilled with it. And thrilled to add Ricky to it to make it stronger”
It is a surprising stance but also makes a lot of sense from a negotiating standpoint. Rival teams know they need to move one of their star receivers because they financially won’t be able to keep both, which certainly hurts their leverage in trade talks.
However, by acting like they are not open for business, Lynch may be hoping to improve the offers he has received from interested teams so far. The 49ers GM may also feel their Super Bowl window is very small and taking one last run at a championship with this current group is worth the risks that will come next spring.
