Star San Francisco 49ers Receiver Nearly Landed in New York Jets' Division

A new report details how the New York Jets nearly had to deal with San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk twice a year.

Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrates after a play against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets are going to have to find a way to defend San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk when the two teams meet on Monday Night Football.

But, had things gone differently, Aiyuk wouldn’t have been on the Jets’ scouting report this week. But he would have been on their scouting report twice this season.

A new report in Sports Illustrated details just how close three different teams got to trading for Aiyuk, who did not participate in training camp or preseason for the 49ers as he was seeking a new contract.

He ended up agreeing to a new deal with the 49ers, a four-year, $120 million deal that has $76 million in guarantees.

But he was almost traded. One of the teams in play was the Jets’ AFC East rival, the New England Patriots.

According to SI, the Patriots offered two different deals to Aiyuk and his agent — one averaged $30 million over three years, and the other exceeded $32 million per year over four years.

New England was reportedly willing to part with a 2025 second-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and a player.

The 49ers asked for Kendrick Bourne, who had previously played for San Francisco. It’s not clear if that request scuttled the deal. He is recovering from an ACL injury.

The other two teams involved were the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers got the closest to a deal.

In this respect, the Jets may have dodged a bullet. After all, would New York want to face a wide receiver of Aiyuk’s caliber twice a year for the next three or four years or face him once every four years, as the schedule outlines for AFC vs. NFC matchups? The Jets won't have to face the 49ers again until 2028.

He has been a high-level performer for San Francisco the past two seasons. Last year he caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. He was named Second-Team All-Pro.

In 2022, the first-round pick from the 2020 draft caught 78 passes for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns.

Now, as The Jets prepare to face the 49ers, they will keep their eye on the contract situation around left tackle Trent Williams, who has held out all of training camp and preseason and shows no signs of showing up unless he gets a re-done contract.

The Jets also have their own issue in that department, as edge rusher Haason Reddick has not reported. Per ESPN, Reddick’s holdout will cost him more than $2 million in fines. The Jets can start withholding game checks if he doesn't play on Monday night, which would cost him more than $800,000 per game until he reports.