The 49ers know the side effects of constructing a great roster in the NFL. It gets expensive and decisions have to be made about which good players to keep and which good players to let go. That conundrum led to the DeForest Buckner trade, and it could presumably lead to a handful of additional deals over the next couple of seasons.
One player on the radar of NFL teams is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. General manager John Lynch on Monday in his pre-draft press conference was asked about Aiyuk’s availability and whether the team has received calls on the wide receiver.
“I’m not going to get into specifics on people,” Lynch said. “We love Brandon Aiyuk and I’m excited about Brandon being a part of this team, so I’ll just leave it at that.”
Given his illuminating responses about quarterback Trey Lance, his choice to not delve into specifics is interesting. It could mean a number of things, so let’s speculate!
Perhaps he felt like he offered too much information on Lance. It might also mean there were some real discussions with a team on Aiyuk that Lynch didn’t want to divulge. There’s a chance also that earlier reporting from ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on the team receiving calls about trading the wide receiver ruffled feathers and Lynch didn’t want to meander down that path again.
A followup question about Aiyuk’s long-term involvement with the team offered a more positive outlook for the receiver’s future with the club.
“You can’t keep everyone, we’re trying to do something special this year and Brandon is going to be a big part of that and beyond as well,” Lynch said. “And so yes, you always have to think out a few years, but we’re really excited about Brandon. I feel like he made another big step last year, and I think the best is yet to come and so we want him being a part of it and at some point, yeah, you have to figure things out and I guess we’ll take that as it comes, but as of right now and into the future, we’re really excited about Brandon Aiyuk and where he is at as a pro. The work he’s done to develop as a pro and become one of our core players here.”
The problem San Francisco will encounter soon is whether they can afford to pay both WRs Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Aiyuk has two years left on his rookie contract which gives the 49ers a little wiggle room.
Ultimately this is a good place for the team to be. They have a slew of good players and paying them is going to require some tough calls from the front office. Perhaps a huge offer from a team comes in for Aiyuk and the 49ers have to make the deal, but it doesn’t sound like they’re eager to move off of him.
