San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has suddenly emerged as the biggest name to follow on the trade market with training camp approaching.
On Tuesday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that the 26-year-old Brandon Aiyuk has requested a trade from the 49ers following lengthy contract discussions that have yet to culminate in an extension.
The 49ers would ideally like to keep Aiyuk, who’s coming off a career year that saw him rack up 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. But if GM John Lynch ultimately decides to trade his All-Pro wideout, there will be a long list of interested teams.
If there’s one Super Bowl contender that could especially use Brandon Aiyuk, it’s Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills. And GM Brandon Beane should be motivated to make a move for Aiyuk following the difficult decision to trade All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.
Brandon Aiyuk does so much, despite getting such few targets compared to other elite WR in the NFL.
In 2023, Aiyuk led all wide receivers with a first down or touchdown on 58.1% of his targets, despite having nine games with four or fewer receptions and nine with fewer than 60… pic.twitter.com/tqQ7XkHqxe
— Chase Senior (@Chase_Senior) July 12, 2024
The Bills also bid farewell to No. 2 wideout Gabe Davis, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. Beane rebuilt his WR corps by using the No. 33 pick on Floria State product Keon Coleman, and by signing Curtis Samuel, Marques Valdes-Scantling and Chase Claypool.
But none of them are established No. 1 receivers, whereas Aiyuk could easily emerge as Josh Allen’s main go-to weapon in an offense that doesn’t feature fellow stars Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle or Deebo Samuel.
What Bills Should Offer 49ers For Brandon Aiyuk
The Bills need to maximize the opportunity to win while they have Josh Allen in his prime, and a player like Aiyuk would make them the biggest threat to Patrick Mahomes and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
So Beane should offer up his 2025 first-round pick and 2026 fourth-round picks to San Francisco in exchange for Aiyuk. And if they could get Aiyuk extended, Allen would have his long-term No. 1 receiver.
Allen was overly reliant on Stefon Diggs in the passing game, but imagine if Aiyuk joined a receiving corps led by two other potent playmakers in Coleman and Samuel. With three capable 1,000-yard receivers at his disposal, Allen would be in line for a career year.
