The San Francisco 49ers have been pretty open throughout their contract negotiations with Brandon Aiyuk that they wish to keep the wide receiver around for the long term.

But Aiyuk's publication of a TikTok video on Monday, in which he tells close friend and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels that the 49ers said they don't want him back, has sparked fresh speculation about the All-Pro's future.

Aiyuk's claims have been refuted, with NFL Media's Ian Rapport insisting the 49ers do want the wideout, just not at the price his agents are currently asking them to pay to sign him to a long-term extension.

But that has not stopped observers from suggesting potential Aiyuk trades.

For a while the Pittsburgh Steelers have been mooted as a possible destination for Aiyuk, while his conversation with Daniels has led some to discuss whether the 49ers could do business with the Commanders. Former 49ers assistant general manager Adam Peters is now Washington's GM.

But NFL analyst Brett Kollmann had a suggestion for a trade that goes down an entirely different route.

Lions get: Brandon Aiyuk

49ers get: Jameson Williams and an unspecified draft pick. 

Obviously, the 49ers dealing Aiyuk, whose spectacular diving catch sparked San Francisco's comeback win over Detroit in the NFC Championship Game, to the Lions would be absolutely wild, and the Niners' appetite to trade him to a primary NFC rival is likely to be very low.

Putting that context to one side, it is a deal that could intrigue the 49ers. The main reason for any interest would be the fact that Williams remains on his rookie deal with a fifth-year option. The 49ers would save a substantial amount of money by trading Aiyuk and replacing him with Williams. 

Yet as A to Z Sports' Lions writer Mike Payton correctly points out, the other side of the coin is why Detroit would be unlikely to make such a trade.

He wrote:

"Aiyuk is going to be looking for a lot of money on this new contract and if he wants anything near Justin Jefferson money, there's just no way the Lions would, or should, be interested in making this move. The Lions just made Amon-Ra St. Brown one of the highest paid receivers in the league. To add another high salary like that with a guy that likely wants more than St. Brown and produces less than St. Brown would be crazy for the Lions to do."

Beyond that issue from the Lions side, for the 49ers it would represent a huge gamble.

While Aiyuk has recorded successive 1,000-yard seasons in the last two years, 2022 first-round pick Williams only has 395 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his career to this point.

The former Alabama star of course has outstanding potential to do substantially more damage with game-changing speed that makes him a big-play threat as a receiver and as a ball-carrier on jet sweeps and end arounds.

But for a 49ers team that just spent a fourth-round pick on a speedster in Jacob Cowing, trading Aiyuk to essentially put a hat on a hat and bet on a largely unproven talent would be a highly questionable move even with the cap saving.

As long as the extension is not signed, there remains a small chance Aiyuk could be traded. However, the odds of the 49ers and Lions coming to terms on this trade are extremely slim.

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