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Brandon Aiyuk requests trade from 49ers as WR seeks new contract

Brandon Aiyuk requests trade from 49ers as WR seeks new contract

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has requested a trade.

However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that teams who have contacted the 49ers have been told that San Francisco has “no intention” of trading the wideout.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that the New England Patriots were among the teams that inquired about a trade and were turned down.

Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will make $14.1 million for the upcoming season. Negotiations with the team appear to be stalled, with Garafolo reporting that the 49ers “have not been willing to negotiate since May.”

It is unclear to what extent his formal transfer request will actually speed up the resolution, especially as the request is only being submitted at a relatively late stage in the off-season.

Everyone knew about Aiyuk’s contract status, and his desire for a new deal is no secret. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported in May that the 2020 first-round pick used Amon-Ra St. Brown’s $120 million pact with the Detroit Lions as a guide for his own request.



If an interested player has so far failed to make an attractive offer to San Francisco, it’s hard to understand why the team would relent now.

The timing for moving Aiyuk came before the NFL draft. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Niners had discussed trades involving Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, with an eye toward a potential top-10 move.

Nothing came of it. Once that window closed, any short-term incentive to move the fifth-year wideout disappeared.

For example, the Buffalo Bills took a step back when they sent Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. In Florida State’s Keon Coleman, they might have identified his replacement through the draft.

Currently, any draft capital the 49ers receive from an Aiyuk trade wouldn’t roll over until 2025, and the cost savings from shedding his contract isn’t as significant when all the top free agents are already gone.

San Francisco has its sights set on another Super Bowl appearance and knows that Aiyuk has too much to lose by refusing to report to the team before the start of the regular season. It appears management is willing to make things happen and either let him walk as a free agent or give him a franchise tag and go from there in 2025.