Why the 49ers Might Trade Brandon Aiyuk

What's the point of paying more than $25 million a year for a wide receiver you use like a second or third option?

Don't be surprised if the 49ers trade Brandon Aiyuk this offseason.

He may have priced himself off the team. He's that good. He's clearly better than Deebo Samuel, who earns almost $24 million per season. Which means the 49ers would have to give Brandon Aiyuk at least $25 million per season for him to even consider extending his contract.

Don't get me wrong -- Aiyuk is worth every penny he can command on the open market, and another team would be smart to trade for him if the 49ers make him available. He's an elite split end, the second coming Torry Holt, who led the NFL in receiving yards twice when he played for the Rams.

Aiyuk never will lead the NFL in receiving yards if he plays for the 49ers, because they simply don't throw him the ball frequently enough. On another team, he would easily get more than 10 targets per game. But on the 49ers, he got 6.5 targets per game this past season.

What's the point of paying more than $25 million a year for a wide receiver you use like a second or third option?

Sure, Aiyuk also is a good blocker, but to justify paying a wide receiver that much money, the 49ers would have to throw the ball so much more than they do. They ranked dead last in pass attempts in 2023.

Don't be surprised if the 49ers trade Aiyuk for a first-round pick and draft his replacement. That's what they did four years ago when they traded DeForest Buckner for a first-round pick and drafted Javon Kinlaw.

There's precedent.