The San Francisco 49ers don’t want to trade Brandon Aiyuk, right?
And yet, they can’t seem to make a deal with their No. 1 wide receiver.
Aiyuk has become increasingly frustrated with a lack of a deal and has even helped build the trade rumors. And the Denver Broncos should be on the phone with San Francisco about him. But are they?
Brandon Aiyuk’s contract frustration leads to trade rumors
The 49ers are a team jam-packed with offensive talent.
Denver’s own Christian McCaffrey leads the way as the best running back on the league, just landed on the Madden NFL 25 cover, and was just given a massive contract extension. McCaffrey is now locked up by the Niners through 2027 for an additional $38 million, with $24M guaranteed.
Besides McCaffrey, there’s tight end extraordinaire George Kittle, X-factor Deebo Samuel who can do it all, and the aforementioned Aiyuk.
When it comes to receiving the ball, Aiyuk led the 49ers in receptions (75) and yards (1,342), and tied Samuel in receiving touchdowns with 7 last year. The same can be said of 2022, when his 78 receptions for 1,015 yards led the team. That season, Kittle’s 11 touchdowns edged out Aiyuk’s 8, but it was still a great season for the receiver.
So, where does he fit into the future for the Super Bowl contending Niners?
“If I were to take a guess, probably a Niners uniform,” Aiyuk said on The Pivot podcast when asked what jersey he’ll be wearing this season. “Probably a Niners uniform, but if not a Niners uniform, probably a Washington Commander uniform. If not a Washington Commanders uniform, then probably a Steelers uniform.”
So, while the most likely answer to the end of this contract dispute is Aiyuk back with San Francisco, he’s not necessarily completely shooting down trade rumors with the comment.
“I don’t know what the finances are and what they have going on,” Aiyuk said on The Pivot podcast. “If you can’t afford a Lamborghini, you can’t have one.”
The team’s No. 1 receiver is set to make $14.1 million if the 49ers franchise tag him this year, opening him up for unrestricted free agency next year.
Denver should be on the phone with San Francisco about Aiyuk trade
Similarly, the Denver Broncos have a No. 1 receiver who isn’t happy with his contract situation.
Courtland Sutton sat out of OTAs, though he did make a return to the Broncos for mandatory minicamp. Entering this year, Sutton is set to make a base salary of $13 million, but that will likely balloon to $17.4M with bonuses added in.
Still, the veteran wants a new deal.
And, he may deserve it. Consider he’s played with a wildly long list of quarterbacks, from Case Keenum to Drew Lock, Joe Flacco to Teddy Bridgewater, and most recently with Russell Wilson past his prime.
Even while being part of the worst offense in football last year, Sutton was a scoring threat from nearly everywhere on the field. He made multiple highlight-worthy receptions, many of them in the end zone as he finished the year with a career-high 10 touchdowns.
Would the Niners be open to trading Aiyuk for Sutton?
Probably not straight-up, because Aiyuk is not only a better receiver, but he’s younger, too. It’s possible they’d take Sutton and a draft pick, though.
Jerry Jeudy and Sutton were both part of trade rumors for a long time, and then Jeudy was traded before the league year started.
Sean Payton and George Paton have already rebuilt the wide receiver room around Sutton, bringing in Josh Reynolds and drafting Troy Franklin. But, would they trade out Sutton for Aiyuk? It seems likely.
At bare minimum, the Broncos should be on the phone exploring a deal with general manager and former Bronco John Lynch of the Niners.
