Why 49ers could trade Aiyuk as contract talks continue to stall

Why 49ers could trade Aiyuk as contract talks continue to stall originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Why would the 49ers be willing to move wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk if, like most NFL trades , they receive only draft picks in return?

The answer is: They probably would not.

After all, San Francisco is built to win now. And there is no reason for them to be interested in anything that weakens the team for the coming season.

But what if they could acquire a proven wide receiver in addition to future draft picks?

Now, that starts to make sense for the 49ers and Aiyuk.

The Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots are the most-likely trade partners, according to a report Saturday from Cam Marino of NFLdraftbuzz.

The Browns could afford to pay Aiyuk if wide receiver Amari Cooper were dealt to San Francisco in a trade, wrote long-time beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

In such a scenario, the 49ers could get a veteran receiver to immediately compensate for the loss of Aiyuk, and the All-Pro wideout would go to a team willing to provide him with the big contract he desires.

Cooper, 30, is coming off a season in which he caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns with the Browns. He has seven 1,000-yard seasons in his nine-year NFL career.

The Browns would be getting Aiyuk, 26, a younger player who has improved every season he’s been in the NFL. Last year, he caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. He was selected as a second-team AP All-Pro.

General manager John Lynch said upon the opening of training camp that he expected Aiyuk to be with the 49ers this season.

But things change.

And what’s changed is Aiyuk and San Francisco have taken longer than expected to finalize a deal after the sides nearly had an agreement months ago. When the receiver market blew up, so did the contract talks.

Because Cooper is in the final year of his contract, the Browns would also likely send multiple draft picks to the 49ers, including the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-49ers-could-trade-aiyuk-174946624.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-08-04 18:07:00

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