The San Francisco 49ers have, as general manager John Lynch foreshadowed at the NFL Combine, had quite a roster teardown this offseason in an effort to reduce how much cash they spend. This week Lynch confirmed there's a plan in place, and as a practical matter said plan is being executed.
"We’ve got this thing called the draft, and we’ve got a lot of picks," Lynch said at Stanford's Pro Day, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. "And I think the thing the fans should know is, we have a plan. And we’re gonna execute that plan. And we’re excited about the opportunity."
The 49ers have 11 picks in next month's draft. So adding any more might push toward being excessive, as much as having a lot of draft capital can be called that. As we know, having 11 picks going into a draft hardly means the 49ers will end up with 11 newly-drafted players when it's all said and done.
49ers' top pre-draft trade asset is as obvious as can be
Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus named each NFL team's top trade asset before the 2025 draft. For the 49ers, it's a very easy one in light of how the roster looks.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
"San Francisco has retooled its roster going into 2025, moving on from Deebo Samuel, Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw, Javon Hargrave, and others. On the surface, it wouldn’t seem like the same applies to Aiyuk, but there’s more than meets the eye."
"Aiyuk was involved in trade scenarios for nearly four months last summer before agreeing to a four-year, $120 million extension with the 49ers. Still, he turned in a career-low 74.1 PFF receiving grade before tearing his ACL in Week 7. Reports have resurfaced about the team wanting to trade Aiyuk, especially before $31 million is guaranteed on April 1. That gives credence to the idea that a swap could happen after nearly a year of build-up."
Back in Indianapolis at the combine, Lynch confirmed reports suggesting Aiyuk could be traded and that offers had come. Coming of a torn ACL and MCL is an obvious consideration for any team who may have interest, as is the contract extension the 49ers broke down and gave him last offseason rather than trade him. That said, speculation about the New England Patriots as a possible suitor has been rekindled.
Hanging over the idea of trading Aiyuk is the $22.85 million option bonus he is due on April 1. Spotrac also shows a $24.93 million option bonus for 2026 that becomes fully guaranteed on April 1 of this year. The 49ers want to reduce the cash they're doling out, so those numbers are significant.
If the 49ers could get a Day 3 draft pick for Aiyuk, they just might take it to get rid of the double-headache of him being injured right now and overpaid until further notice. It would also be quite the drop in return if they would've traded him last offseason, when getting a first-round pick seemed vaguely possible.
It may come down to some financial mechanics as that bonus payout looms on April 1, but one thing is absolutely clear. If the 49ers are going to trade someone between now and the draft, Aiyuk undeniably stands above the rest of the crowd.