Should the 49ers Have Traded Brandon Aiyuk to the Patriots for Pick 34?
![Oct 25, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) makes a catch on a pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (not seen) during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports Oct 25, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) makes a catch on a pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (not seen) during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3099,h_1743,x_0,y_102/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_49ers/01j3g23h324ft84bjykz.jpg)
Make this make sense.
The 49ers have offered Brandon Aiyuk $26 million per year because they see him as a good yet replaceable no. 2 receiver. That's why they drafted Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 -- to replace Aiyuk eventually if they don't sign him to an extension.
Aiyuk was given permission to find a trade partner this offseason and was able to identify five teams that are willing to pay him what he wants. One of those teams is the New England Patriots, who reportedly offered the 49ers pick no. 34 in the 2024 NFL Draft in exchange for Aiyuk. And the 49ers said no.
If they see him as nothing more than a replaceable no. 2, they should have been overjoyed to receive a high second-round pick for him. They could have packaged that pick along with their first-round pick which they used on Pearsall to trade up for a franchise offensive tackle.
So yes, the 49ers should have traded Aiyuk to the Patriots. The 49ers still would have had more than enough firepower on offense plus they would have had a high-quality right tackle to pair with future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams.
Now if the 49ers decide to trade Aiyuk, they'll have to trade him for draft picks in 2025 which won't help the 49ers win the Super Bowl this season. And that's really the only goal that matters for the 49ers -- win now. The future is irrelevant. And Aiyuk holding out doesn't help the present at all.