The San Francisco 49ers are poised to, once again, be one of the best teams in the NFL this year. It certainly helps that their roster is stacked with Pro Bowl and All-Pro talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Brock Purdy has been an improbable find for the 49ers, at one time being the final player taken in the NFL Draft. Now he is a Pro Bowler.
Of course, Purdy is not the only high-level talent on the offense. In fact, he probably is not even the best. George Kittle is a generational tight end whose accomplishments on the field over the last few seasons have only been rivaled by those of Travis Kelce with the Kansas City Chiefs. And of course, San Francisco boasts two All-Pro wide receivers in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
However, it may not be long until they have to bid farewell to the latter of these incredibly talented pass catchers.
The San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk Are Far Apart in Contract Negotiations
As everyone in the football world is all-too-well aware, the 49ers and Aiyuk have been in fierce contract negotiations for months. Ever since the Super Bowl ended, there has been speculation, fueled by Aiyuk himself, that the All-Pro wide receiver will not be back with San Francisco this next season.
Of course, this is because he wants a new contract. Negotiations went so poorly leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft that many believed he was going to be traded then. However, the 49ers’ brass instead committed themselves to working things out with their star wide receiver and moving forward with him.
According to reports, they have offered him a contract extension that would pay him up to $26 million a year. However, Aiyuk wants a deal that is more in line with what Amon-Ra St. Brown received from the Detroit Lions: a $30 million annual salary.
With talks going nowhere and training camp about a month away, there has been, and continues to be, speculation that San Francisco may finally relent and trade him away.
San Francisco 49es Insider Suggests Team Trade Brandon Aiyuk to the New England Patriots
As the days tick by, there is less and less optimism that the 49ers and Aiyuk will be able to come to a deal. Since the All-Pro wideout has held out all offseason, there has to be concern that he could continue to do so into training camp and beyond.
If this is the case, the 49ers would do well to trade the talented wide receiver and get something back for him. Kyle Madson of Niners Wire believes a good trade partner would be the New England Patriots:
“Aiyuk is very good and having a player like him would help any offense, particularly one like New England’s which is sorely lacking talent at receiver.
“If New England wanted to ship out a package like cornerback Christian Gonzalez and a 2025 first-round pick, the 49ers would certainly listen.”
This trade, of course, would benefit New England who have the most salary cap space in the NFL. They can certainly afford to pay Aiyuk what he wants. Doing so would pair him with Drake Maye (and Jacoby Brissett) and give New England a top-tier wide receiver for their lackluster offense.
For San Francisco, they would be getting a young cornerback who has years left on his rookie deal. Additionally, a first-round pick from New England could end up being a top-10 pick, even with Aiyuk on their team.
This is one of the rare trade proposals that does seem to be a win-win for both teams.
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