If San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch is in such a giving mood, dumping Deebo Samuel for a 5th-round pick to the Washington Commanders, then maybe the Denver Broncos should be on Line 1 asking about Brandon Aiyuk.
According to multiple reports, the 49ers are actually listening to offers on Aiyuk, who was just re-signed to a massive contract extension last offseason. Aiyuk has a boatload of guaranteed money left on his contract, obviously, but has base salaries the next two years of just $1.17 million and $1.215 million. His contract is extremely tradeable for the 49ers and even with Aiyuk coming off of a major injury, he will likely draw plenty of interest.
He's also only going to be 27 years old this coming season, so having the big financial guarantees in April (over $47 million in option bonuses due on April 1) is not a deal-breaker considering his age and the potential of playing at a high level for another four years at least.
Broncos should at least find out asking price on Brandon Aiyuk trade
Back when he was hired as general manager, George Paton said that the Broncos would be "in" on every deal. We've gotten used to seeing the Broncos being named in connection with available players as a result of this but the presence of Bo Nix gives a new level of intrigue to names like Brandon Aiyuk becoming available.
It was one thing to debate the idea of trading for Deebo Samuel, who is 29 years old and likely past his prime years. It's another thing talking about a player like Aiyuk, even coming off of injury. What would be the asking price on a player like this given his contract and recent injury?
The 49ers have been interested in Courtland Sutton in the past. I know they are trying to get younger at receiver, but adding a player like Sutton allows them to get out of his contract after this coming season while featuring Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings -- guys they love -- a little bit more in 2025. Maybe the Broncos could offer Sutton and a pick for Aiyuk and a pick.
If the Broncos are planning on taking a wide receiver in their top four picks, this is something to consider. Aiyuk has already established himself as a premier NFL wide receiver who can do everything at the position. Yes, he's coming off of a major injury and that will have to be taken into consideration, but if the asking price is reasonable, this is a deal the Broncos should definitely look into.