John Lynch Says He "Wouldn't Anticipate" Trading Brandon Aiyuk

Lynch saying he wouldn't anticipate trading Aiyuk is different than saying he won't trade him at all.

Jan 28, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch hugs a / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

SANTA CLARA -- John Lynch was asked about Brandon Aiyuk's future with the franchise on Monday. Here's what Lynch said, courtesy of the 49ers P.R. department.

LYNCH: Before questions, I know a couple years ago there was a lot of talk about another receiver [WR] Deebo [Samuel], and I said the same thing. But with [WR Brandon Aiyuk] B.A., I've communicated on a couple occasions, on many occasions our wish. Our wish is that he's here and a part of the Niners for the rest of his career. We're working through that. As such, I was a player once and I never liked my business being out in the public. So I'm going to respect that. I'm not going to speak for their side. I can say we're having good talks and I'm just going to leave it at that. We'll focus on the Draft here today. I understand you guys have a job to do and respect that. But that's kind of the tone I'm going to take there. So with that, I'll open up for questions.”

Q: When you guys communicated, did you use emojis or words?

LYNCH: “There you go. The first question. We communicate well and we love the guy. So thank you.”

Q: Has he been here in the building?

LYNCH: “He's not. He's not here right now. No.”

Q: Has he been here previously at all?

LYNCH: “No.”

Q: Have you received calls about him?

LYNCH: “Sure. We receive calls about a lot of players.”

Q: Have you been given permission to his side to--?

LYNCH: “I'm not going to get in all those details. We're really focused on B.A. being part of us. He's under contract and we're looking forward to that.”

Q: Is there any chance Brandon Aiyuk is not on this roster Friday?

LYNCH: “I wouldn't anticipate that.”

GRANT'S TAKE: Lynch saying he wouldn't anticipate trading Aiyuk is different than saying he won't trade him at all. If the 49ers end up trading Aiyuk, they always can say they didn't anticipate a team making such a good offer, or they didn't anticipate a particular player falling to a particular spot. It seems pretty clear that the 49ers have allowed Aiyuk to search for a trade partner. Let's say he found one and it's Jacksonville, who own the 17th pick. If a certain offensive tackle the 49ers like falls to that spot, I could see them trading Aiyuk on draft night. Otherwise, I could see them keeping him.