With the days counting down to the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline, disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk made some waves in light of reports he had hired Drew Rosenhaus as his new agent after going the better part of a year without representation.
For now, Aiyuk remains on the San Francisco 49ers' reserve/left squad list. He's not on the roster, nor are the Niners responsible for paying him. And, until he files for reinstatement, Aiyuk effectively can't do anything related to the league.
Hiring Rosenhaus, a heavy-hitting agent, is a sign Aiyuk is finally willing to take the next steps toward reinstatement.
Now, despite their own receiver shortages, the Niners aren't going to take Aiyuk off that list and add him to their active roster. In light of Aiyuk going AWOL to close out 2025, plus his exceptionally odd social media behavior, it's safe to say San Francisco has zero interest in seeing the receiver in the red and gold ever again.
Related story: Brandon Aiyuk timeline: Every incident where things went sour with 49ers
But, as a trade commodity? That's something entirely different.
And, unlike last year, there's actually a developing market for receivers, one that'd potentially benefit the 49ers, should Aiyuk file for reinstatement in time.
49ers didn't have a trade market for Brandon Aiyuk earlier, they may now
The Niners feebly tried trading Aiyuk last offseason, but the combination of his 2024 injury and odd antics certainly discouraged any would-be suitors from making a serious offer for his services.
No trade materialized, and receiver-needy teams looked elsewhere for options.
Eight weeks deep into the regular season, though, the landscape has changed dramatically, and aside from San Francisco, there are plenty of other teams in need of serious receiver help:
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Indianapolis Colts
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Atlanta Falcons
Even bottom-feeding squads like Indy and the Bolts could look at adding Aiyuk now as a potentially low-risk option with the possibility of building around him in years to come.
But teams like K.C., which has a glaring need at the position and is far from locked in as a top playoff contender, may be more aggressive in trying to land help now. And a team like Kansas City certainly wouldn't look at Aiyuk's prior behavior as an obstacle to him joining the roster.
All the Chiefs (and others) would be concerned about is whether or not Aiyuk is close to game-day shape. He hasn't stepped on a football field since October of 2024 when he suffered his serious ACL and MCL injury.
The Bucs and the Falcons, too, could see Aiyuk as a needed contingency plan to beef up their respective offenses lacking weapons on the perimeter.
Regardless, should Aiyuk file quickly enough, the 49ers may be in a position they weren't earlier this offseason: looking at a potential trade market for a receiver who vowed never to do business with them again.
At least the Niners could get something back in return.
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