Brandon Aiyuk was in an interesting situation before late Thursday night. Now he’s in an even more peculiar spot with the 49ers.
DETROIT, MI– On Thursday night, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch sat in front of media after the conclusion of Day One of the 2024 NFL Draft. Around halfway through the press conference, Lynch picked up his phone and announced that Brandon Aiyuk– who had been wrapped up in a contract dilemma and trade rumors this entire offseason, texted him.
“I think this is how people younger than [John Lynch] talk,” said Shanahan. The text read, “fire pick, can’t lie”. Possibly a nod to Aiyuk’s willingness to stay in town. Despite this, San Francisco’s receiver room is in limbo, teetering on a delicate balance of talent and a highly-paid core. No player wants to get traded but the fear is the 49ers might’ve just drafted Aiyuk’s replacement.
The selection Aiyuk is referencing is Ricky Pearsall, who the Niners drafted with the 31st overall pick in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. Rumors had swirled of Aiyuk’s departure in some way. The 49ers are paying big money to their robust offensive core which consists of superstars such as Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Trent Williams. Aiyuk’s contract extension, which is due to be agreed upon and signed this year, has been left on the back burner.
Trades have been swung through the grapevine especially in a year of wide receiver movement. The Los Angeles Chargers got rid of Mike Williams and dealt Keenan Allen, the Bills reluctantly let Gabe Davis walk, and the Cardinals traded away Rondale Moore. The 49ers might be the next big name to be added to the list.
On paper, Pearsall has the same skillset as Aiyuk. Complimentary to Deebo Samuel, Pearsall fills the 49ers’ slot receiver niche to a tee. His ability to run refined, polished routes is reminiscent of Aiyuk’s or maybe even Samuels. The 49ers presumably went into this pick understanding that they can’t keep all of the spoils, instead having to make the decision who they were going to get rid of. Only a small amount of circulation has been brought regarding Samuels moving, but it’s not out of the picture. Even 49ers’ general manager Lynch didn’t deny it.
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“Never close the door on a trade,” Lynch said. “I mean, we’ll always listen and we have. But we like our group as it stands.”
Shanahan then followed suit, “so, I mean, you listen to everything. Everything’s about trying to improve our team as much as we can for 2024 without jeopardizing 2025 as much as possible.
So, that’s everything you look into and whenever that opportunity comes, whichever way, if you can improve your team, you do that. It’s hard to picture improving your team, though, without him.”
The receiver room in the Bay Area is a challenging one monetarily because the 49ers understand that having explosive and star offensive turrets is expensive. The team ranks first in cap spending this year and has already had to make cuts in order to bring their cap underneath a growing aggregate salary cap number.
Pearsall’s selection might’ve been a dog whistle for 49ers fans that someone is gonna get the wrong end of the stick. Pearsall’s ability to play in the slot and his attractive feature of versatility at the receiver position parallels Aiyuk.
“He can separate down the field, he can separate underneath,” Shanahan said. “He’s got really good hands. Extremely smart, very well developed. You could tell he was — I guess I’d call it a gym rat or something because he was working on his routes and putting in a lot of hours. And you could see it on tape.”
Clues have popped up all over the timeline about Aiyuk’s departure in some way or another: Aiyuk’s unfollowing of the 49ers on social media, the salary cap situation, his eagerness for a big extension, and him reportedly requesting a trade all spell out that Aiyuk might get out of Dodge.
The other question being has Aiyuk’s value fallen? The first round of the draft is over– meaning that the 49ers can’t get any immediate high-draft value for him. Instead, they’ll have to wait until next year. A draft pick now is generally seen as better than a draft pick next year and with a roster that was in the Super Bowl until the very end, it seems as if though the rational idea would be that the Niners want to win now rather than start anew.
And who knows, maybe John Lynch wants both of them, which is what he’ll publicly state, “I know that we’re continuing to have positive talks with [Aiyuk] and we are really efforting to get something done with him. And we’re excited about continuing down that path. And Brandon being a part of this team. Deebo is a part of this team and a big part of this team. So, like I said, we feel great about that group and we feel like we just made it better with another really good addition to it who complements the group real well.”
There are several teams across the NFL who need a wide receiver, but as the draft draws to a close on Day Three, the likelihood of a trade seems to be dwindling. With the infamous complexity of Shanahan’s offense for young receivers, Pearsall might take a little time to get acquainted with the system. That sets the path for a summer filled with negotiations and long-term uncertainty for Aiyuk, yet still serving the guarantee he will be under the Niners’ organization for next year. Holdout or not.
