San Francisco 49ers superstar wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday.
Those who have followed along all offseason aren’t likely surprised by the latest development, as Aiyuk has been vocal in his quest for a new deal entering his fifth NFL season. The 49ers picked up his fifth-year option ahead of his 2023 campaign, guaranteeing him $14.12 million this year, but it’s been abundantly clear that Aiyuk is seeking more long-term security.
Word following the reports of Aiyuk’s trade request is that the 49ers are not interested in a trade and would rather continue to pursue a long-term deal. However, with veterans set to report to training camp on July 23, one might consider that day a “deadline” of sorts to get the deal done.
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Let’s say Aiyuk and the 49ers don’t come to terms on a new contract extension. Here are four potential landing spots that fantasy football managers should hope to see for Aiyuk’s new home.
There’s been a slew of rumors about a potential trade of Aiyuk to the Commanders. The source of the trade buzz? One could argue that it’s Brandon Aiyuk himself, who’s been in talks with his former Arizona State quarterback and 2024 No. 2 overall draft pick, Jayden Daniels, all summer long.
Aside from the obvious potential chemistry the two could have from the onset given their history together, the trade would make sense from an organizational standpoint as well — particularly for the fantasy value of Daniels, who’s throwing to a suspect line of receivers behind Terry McLaurin.
Though rookie quarterbacks rarely produce two viable fantasy assets — particularly when their game cruxes on a supplemental rushing attack — there’s still some reason to believe Washington is a favorable landing spot for the value of both Aiyuk and Daniels. Lined up opposite of Scary Terry, Aiyuk would offer Daniels a premiere separator to lift his floor as a passer in a big way, with a 69.3% open target rate versus single coverage over the past two seasons, per PFF. Also consider the potential for passing volume, as the Commanders enter 2024 with a depleted defense that put the Commanders in position to play from behind consistently last season, leading the league with 780 dropbacks.
The Steelers were among one of the first teams rumored as a possible trade destination for Aiyuk, and all things considered, it’d be an outstanding fit. Following the Diontae Johnson trade this offseason, the depth chart in Pittsburgh is looking awfully barren; Van Jefferson profiling as a team’s WR2 is never a good thing. Though GM Omar Khan has stood pat with the roster to this point in the offseason, there’s no doubt that this team is at a bit of an impasse in its quest for its seventh Super Bowl win as long as the depth chart remains in its current state.
Though the addition of Aiyuk would conceivably mean fewer targets for third-year WR George Pickens, there’s no doubt that his presence would be an overall boost for offensive scoring opportunities.
The Steelers rank top-five among teams in effective cap space in each of the next three seasons (2025-2027) per Over The Cap, though any trade decision must be made with the caveat that they do not have a projected starting quarterback under contract beyond 2024.
There’s been a massive changing of the guard in Los Angeles this offseason, with Jim Harbaugh as its head coach after a fairly disastrous three-year stint with Brandon Staley at the helm. All indications have been this offseason that Harbaugh intends to run the ball, from the hiring of Greg Roman as his offensive coordinator (with whom he worked during his four-year tenure as the head coach of the 49ers) on through the selection of OT Joe Alt with the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft.
The one thing they haven’t overhauled is their receiving corps.
This offseason, the Chargers found themselves in a massive bind in regards to their available cap space for 2024, eventually releasing veteran Mike Williams and trading Keenan Allen to the Bears. The only problem with those departures? There’s not much left in terms of depth. Sure, they drafted Georgia WR prospect Ladd McConkey early in the second round of this year’s draft, but even for as highly touted he is as a route runner, hinging the offense on a rookie who never cleared 800+ receiving yards in college is dangerous.
Perhaps a trade to the Chargers would mean the team will once again just shoot themselves in the foot eventually when it comes to cap space. However, they conceivably have the cap space to make it happen and secure a true No. 1 threat on the perimeter for former Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert to boost each of their fantasy floors. Even if the Chargers construct a run-heavy scheme (as is expected), the addition of Aiyuk projects to boost the overall efficiency of this unit in a way that allows fantasy managers to better weather the storm of a projected decrease in passing volume.
The Jets currently find themselves in a crucial position in their franchise history. After going all-in on Aaron Rodgers only to lose him to a season-ending injury just four snaps into Week 1, HC Robert Saleh & Co. have an abundance of things to prove to their front office — namely, that they can win football games. However, one look at the team’s depth chart tells you that would be a much easier task with another weapon at wide receiver to pair with Rodgers at quarterback.
Perhaps a trade for a player of Aiyuk’s caliber would be going a bit overboard, but it certainly would be an “all-in” signal for the team heading into the final year of Aaron Rodgers’ contract. After all, behind superstar Garrett Wilson, they’re looking at an offense built upon FA signing Mike Williams (returning from a torn ACL), UDFA Xavier Gipson and rookie Malachi Corley. Though Corley’s been aptly dubbed the “YAC King” out of Western Kentucky, he’s still got a lot to prove in terms of his usage at the next level having seen a significant portion of his usage around the line of scrimmage in college.
Once again, the addition of Aiyuk may be a slight hindrance to Wilson’s target volume, but this pairing would put defenders in the ultimate bind to force broken coverage, which should mean they can do a bit more with less. This would also boost Rodgers’ floor, currently being drafted as the QB19 in Yahoo leagues.
