Picking three perfect landing spots for Brandon Aiyuk in potential trade of the 49ers' All-Pro receiver
Brandon Aiyuk wants to be paid by the San Francisco 49ers, but if that can't happen, he has made it very clear he is more than happy to be traded. He emphatically confirmed the latter point on Tuesday by officially requesting a trade, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, after losing patience with the lack of […]
Brandon Aiyuk wants to be paid by the San Francisco 49ers, but if that can't happen, he has made it very clear he is more than happy to be traded.
He emphatically confirmed the latter point on Tuesday by officially requesting a trade, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, after losing patience with the lack of progress in contract extension talks.
But the 49ers have reportedly been unequivocal to teams that have enquired about Aiyuk that they have no intention of trading him.
As a result, the 49ers and Aiyuk are in a staring contest that is helping nobody. If the Niners blink and decide to deal him, three teams stand out as ideal landing spots for their leading receiver from the last two seasons.
Washington Commanders
Logic dictates that, if Aiyuk is to be traded, it will likely be to an AFC team.
But there are obvious reasons why a deal with the Commanders could go down despite them being in the NFC.
Unlikely to be an immediate threat to the Niners in the conference, there is a connection between the two franchises with San Francisco's former assistant general manager Adam Peters hired as the Washington GM this year.
More pertinently, Aiyuk and second overall pick Jayden Daniels are close friends who would surely dearly love to rekindle their connection from their Arizona State days, with the chance to do so potentially negating the issue of Washington likely not being contenders in 2025 for Aiyuk.
On top of that, the Commanders have the second-most cap space in the NFL, giving them ample flexibility to fit a potential new contract for Aiyuk on the books. Of all the teams in the 49ers' conference, Washington stands out as the one most likely to strike an Aiyuk deal.
Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh could not get a better 'welcome back to the league' present from his former team than Aiyuk.
There was some surprise when the Chargers elected to take tackle Joe Alt over wide receiver Malik Nabers with the fifth overall pick in this year's draft and, even after taking Ladd McConkey in the second round, Los Angeles' depth chart at wideout is light on legitimate playmakers.
Aiyuk would give Justin Herbert a clear number one target. One of the best downfield receivers in the NFL, Aiyuk would mesh perfectly with one of the game's elite deep ball throwers while also providing Herbert with a wideout who thrives attacking the intermediate area of the field.
Aiyuk would get the chance to stay in his home state and, while few view the Chargers as contenders this year, Harbaugh is unlikely to be interested in any of thoughts of a transitional season. He will want to win immediately, and pairing Herbert with Aiyuk would improve the odds of them doing so.
Baltimore Ravens
Ok, before we get to a scenario that would send shockwaves around the league. Let's talk quickly about the team most commonly connected with Aiyuk, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers have a clear need at the wide receiver position and Pittsburgh fans are understandably desperate for them to fill it with Aiyuk to improve their chances of truly contending again in the AFC. Pittsburgh has the cap space to make it happen, and on the surface it makes sense for everyone. Except, crucially, Aiyuk.
Aiyuk has thrived with Purdy and, prior to that, Jimmy Garoppolo, in large part through his ability to win quickly and their success in getting the ball out in a blink. That is emphatically not the game of the Steelers quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. On top of that, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has a reputation, albeit perhaps slightly exaggerated, for not using his weapons properly.
Put that together as a mix on a team nobody expects to challenge for the Lombardi this season and as a recipe for Aiyuk it's well…. yuck.
So to the Ravens, and I hear you, Lamar Jackson isn't exactly renowned for getting the ball out quickly. However, his average time of throw of 2.95 seconds, per NextGen Stats, was actually only slightly slower than that of Purdy (2.88), and Aiyuk would surely jump at the chance to play with the reigning MVP.
Baltimore extended Rashod Bateman this offseason. Adding Aiyuk might be seen as putting a hat on a hat in bringing in another X receiver. However, Aiyuk was the second-highest graded receiver in the slot in the NFL last season by Pro Football Focus, and Bateman also has experience playing in that role.
It would not be difficult to get both on the field at the same time and, through Aiyuk's addition, the Ravens would not have to rely as heavily on Nelson Agholor, who is a lot more enticing as a fourth option than as a third wide receiver.
Though he would have competition from Zay Flowers and tight end Mark Andrews, Aiyuk would theoretically go from being the top target on the best offense in the NFC to the same position on arguably the most dynamic in the AFC, and the Ravens would have a ridiculously stacked passing game to help them in their quest to put last year's Conference Championship disappointment behind them.
The issue would be on the side of the 49ers, who may be very reticent to trade Aiyuk to a potential Super Bowl opponent. But as far as landing spots for Aiyuk, it's difficult to think of one better than the Ravens.
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It would be a subtle but potentially critical improvement.
