The San Francisco 49ers solved one of their contract sagas on Monday when star left tackle Trent Williams agreed to a two-year, $50 million contract extension that includes $37 million guaranteed.
But another one remains, as wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains on the team, despite not playing a game for the 49ers last year, in another public contract dispute. Now, the wideout is not expected to play another game for San Francisco, which general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan both shared this offseason, but Aiyuk remains on the 49ers roster heading into the draft.
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Now, after some discussions at the league meetings, will the 49ers look to trade Aiyuk during the draft?
“I’ve had some discussions,” Lynch said about an Aiyuk trade on Monday. “Do I think it’s a high probability? Likely no. But is there a chance? Yeah, I think there’s a chance.”
“I think, as for that whole dialogue, I think I was candid with you guys in saying at the end of the season that he’s likely played his last snap for us. We all are in concert in where we’re going with Brandon. At league meetings, I talked to you guys. I thought it would have been irresponsible not to give it through league meetings because there’s various inflection points where a lot of deals at least start to get talked about.
“The league meetings is a great opportunity because everyone in the league is there. The draft is another opportunity because a lot of things happen on draft week. So, I think we’ll see it through here. We’ll focus on our draft. If something happens there, great. If not, we’ll re-evaluate it. He’s still a member of this roster right now, and we’ll treat him as such.”
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It feels like the 49ers are in no rush to move off Aiyuk, waiting for a potential deal to come through before potentially releasing him, and they aren’t in any financial situation to rush. According to OverTheCap, the 49ers have over $30 million in cap space still, and that’s with Aiyuk holding a $14.6 million cap charge for this upcoming season.
Of course, with guarantees voided, the 49ers could recoup some money when an Aiyuk move does happen, but they’re in a great financial space with tons of cap room and don’t seem to be pressed to make a trade or a release yet.
Now, ESPN’s Adam Schefter did name Aiyuk among several NFL players who are considered trade candidates to watch during the draft, so a deal is possible, like Lynch said.
“Though [A.J.] Brown and [Jonathan] Greenard are two of the biggest trade candidates — and the Giants already traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II on Saturday to Cincinnati for the No. 10 pick — there are plenty more who could be dealt during the upcoming draft,” Schefter wrote.
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“Those who could gain interest include Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr., Titans quarterback Will Levis, Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler, Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II, Giants edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman and 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, among others.”
Now, we’re in wait-and-see mode.
Read the full article here
