The San Francisco 49ers have a clear need at edge rusher after losing Nick Bosa for the remainder of the season. They also have a surplus of wide receivers, which is why they could offload Brandon Aiyuk to improve their pass rush.
One name that has come up in trade rumors recently is edge rusher Bradley Chubb of the Miami Dolphins. The 29-year-old veteran is a very solid edge rusher who already has four sacks in 2025. He missed all of 2024 due to an ACL tear, but in 2023, he had 11 sacks in 16 games.
Chubb is under contract through 2027, so the Niners would be landing an edge rusher who would pair nicely with Bosa once he returns from injury.
San Francisco also has an opportunity to rid itself of Aiyuk in this deal. The 49ers must regret signing Aiyuk to a big contract extension following the 2023 season. The receiver was not his usual self last year and then went down with a brutal knee injury that has kept him out until now with no timetable for a return.
After the gruesome knee injury that Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill suffered, the Dolphins have to be thinking of a way to replace him with it being a real question as to when Hill could return to the field.
Aiyuk is under contract through 2028, so Miami would be getting a receiver who has proven he can be elite before his injury.
The 49ers already have plenty of options at wide receiver even though they have had a very difficult time staying healthy at that position. Even without Aiyuk, if everyone was healthy, the Niners would have a receiving corps of Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, and Demarcus Robinson not to mention rookie Jordan Watkins.
That is a solid group of receivers, so the Niners would probably be fine with moving on from Aiyuk, especially with how much money they are paying him and the drama he has caused the team over the last few years.
Not often are trades mutually beneficial, but this trade would help the 49ers immediately by giving them a proven pass-rusher while getting rid of a player the Niners probably wish they had traded over a year ago.
At 4-1, the Niners need to make a big move to ensure they have enough firepower to make the playoffs, so general manager John Lynch would be smart to explore a deal like this.