49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk recently asked for a trade. Before the draft, trade talks nevertheless happened.
Negotiations occurred not because Aiyuk wanted out, but because the 49ers invited his representatives to explore whether another team would pay Aiyuk what he wanted on a long-term deal.
At the time, the magic number was in the neighborhood of $28 million per year. That quite possibly has changed, given the market-shifting deal given by the Vikings to receiver Justin Jefferson.
Regardless, there were five teams, we’re told, who were ready to pay Aiyuk what he wanted before the draft. If they could also reach acceptable trade terms with the 49ers, he would have been traded.
That part didn’t happen. It’s unclear what the 49ers wanted at the time. They rejected an offer of a second-round pick from the Patriots. Other interested teams were, and potentially still are, the Steelers and Commanders.
A post-draft trade becomes problematic for the 49ers, unless someone can offer a current player who will help the 49ers win in 2024. If the best offer includes 2025 draft picks, the 49ers could be tempted to take a hard line with Aiyuk, requiring him to complete the final year of his 2020 first-round rookie deal and then possibly tagging and trading him after the season.
Much of what happens depends on how firm Aiyuk will be in his request for a trade. Will he hold out of training camp? Will he stay out deep into the regular season, showing up in time to get credit for 2024 and setting the stage for an exit in 2025?
