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The 49ers had several trades in place to deal wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk during training camp last year.While an Aiyuk trade this offseason would be shocking for several reasons, the 49ers haven’t shut down the possibility leading up to the start of the new league year on March 12.Last offseason, some in San Francisco’s organization wondered if Aiyuk even wanted to play football, considering how he showed little urgency to end his “hold in” and get back on the field.One day after coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch’s public tone changed to exasperation, a contract extension was completed.The deal closed the door on potential trades to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns.A deal was in place to send Aiyuk to the Browns for Amari Cooper, second- and fifth-round draft picks, NBC Sports Bay Area reported at the time. The 49ers had already agreed in principle to other trades, too.With the regular season around the corner and the 49ers’ decision-makers applying pressure, Aiyuk signed a four-year contract extension that contained $120 million of new money.Aiyuk clearly was ill-prepared for the start of the regular season after sitting out all of training camp.Aiyuk had just 13 catches for 167 through four games before breaking out with an eight-catch, 147-yard performance against Arizona in Week 5. But two games later, against New England, he sustained the season-ending torn ACL.This offseason, the 49ers already have agreed to a trade to send wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders.Does it make sense to deal Aiyuk, too?Amid reports of some interest in Aiyuk around the league, Lynch did not slam the door shut on any speculation about a possible trade this offseason.“Yeah, that typically happens with really good players,” Lynch said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis when asked specifically about any trade talks regarding Aiyuk.“You get calls, and you always listen to calls.”Lynch’s answer then weaved into a statement about how much money the 49ers have spent over the cap in recent years, and how the team has to “recalibrate” its spending and get younger.Certainly, Aiyuk’s market value is not nearly as strong as it was a year ago. He is coming off a torn ACL and no reliable timeline has been set for when he might contribute on the field.If the 49ers were to trade Aiyuk, it would cost them $7.65 million of additional cap charge this year. The 49ers’ salary cap for this year would include nearly $50 million for wide receivers no longer on the team.A trade of Aiyuk would mean some other team would pick up his $22.85 million option bonus, due on April 1. He would still count $18.4 million against the 49ers’ cap this year while Samuel’s trade means San Francisco absorbs $31.02 million in dead money.Although Aiyuk was a source of frustration for the 49ers last year, it would still be a seismic shift for them to part ways with the wide receivers who entered last year as two of their top offensive playmakers.NBC Sports Bay Area asked Lynch last week about the team’s wide receiver position.“I think we’ve got work to do,” he said. “But the good thing is, the season doesn’t start next week. There’s time.”Jauan Jennings is the top returning wide receiver on the team. He enters the final year of his contract after posting career highs of 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdownsRicky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing enter their second NFL seasons.It would be a dramatic move for the 49ers to entertain the possibility of trading Aiyuk.It would be an admission that they made a huge mistake in signing him to the big-money deal and it’s best to move on without him.Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast
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