The story behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk 49ers trade buzz

The San Francisco 49ers were one team that were constantly in the headlines throughout the draft cycle, but not for the reasons one would hope for. The 49ers were the subject of endless trade rumors surrounding both starting wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Samuel is a special player with a huge contract and Aiyuk is a difference maker in his own right who is seeking a contract extension. Several teams and players around the league appeared to be courting Aiyuk, but no deal has been made. A recent ESPN article from Jeremy Fowler sheds light on the situation.

According to Fowler, multiple teams told the 49ers that they were interested in Brandon Aiyuk. However, they believed that the 49ers wanted a first-round pick for him. This would fall in line with the return the Tennessee Titans got when they traded A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 for the 18th overall pick. The Eagles immediately signed Brown to a four-year, $100 million contract. The 49ers were reportedly looking for a similar return for Aiyuk, who would likely demand a contract extension.

The 49ers reportedly did have discussions about Deebo Samuel with teams on day two of the 2024 NFL Draft, but a source claims that San Francisco “isn’t moving him” at least two hours before the second round started.

San Francisco added some intrigue to the mix by selecting two receivers in the draft — Florida’s Ricky Pearsall and Arizona’s Jacob Cowing.

“He can be a nice No. 2 or No. 3 receiver, a good player, but that was a bit of a reach, in my opinion,” an NFC personnel evaluator said of Pearsall.

“They wanted a route runner like the Rams have in Puka [Nacua],” an AFC executive added. “Probably see him in that same role.”

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