The San Francisco 49ers made it through their controversial draft without trading away wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. General manager John Lynch did make a plea after the draft, but it wreaked of desperation.
He said this to reporters at a press conference following the draft:
“We're available. Give us a call. And like I said earlier, I think it's the prudent thing to do. He’s an extremely talented player. He's been an extremely effective player in our league; situation didn't work itself out here. That's not to say that it can't be rekindled somewhere else. And we'd be happy to do something with anyone if the opportunity presented itself.”
That’s a great attempt at a sales pitch from Lynch, and maybe in a different life, he’d be selling beat-up Toyota Corollas like they were hot cakes, but it doesn’t seem like general managers are going to be all that enticed to trade for Aiyuk.
Lynch is right that there is a chance that Aiyuk could find his old form and become the player he was at his best with the 49ers.
But is there a team willing to give up a draft pick to take that risk? Likely not.
The Washington Conmanders, a team that makes so much sense for Aiyuk, given his connection with quarterback Jayden Daniels and general manager Adam Peters’ fondness for ex-49ers, have held firm in signaling they are not going to trade for Aiyuk and would only have interest in signing him after he gets released by San Francisco.
That seems like the most likely outcome at this point. If a team really wanted Aiyuk, it'd probably would’ve already gotten him by this point. The Niners can’t be asking for much. If they’re asking for anything more than a sixth- or seventh-round pick, then they are asking too much.
Aiyuk is coming off a major knee injury and has not played in a game since 2024. No one knows how healthy he is or what kind of shape he’s in. Plus, there are major character concerns, given the way he’s acted the last few years. Even his own personal coach said he wouldn’t give him a lot of money.
Lynch isn’t an idiot. He knows the Niners probably won’t get anything for Aiyuk, but he also knows it’s his job as GM to keep that possibility open for as long as possible even if it looks desperate and somewhat craven.
There’s also a possibility the Niners are doing this out of sheer spite and vindictiveness. After the way Aiyuk has acted and the drama he’s made the 49ers endure, they probably will wait until the last possible moment to release him so he can’t sign with a new team in the summer and get acclimated somewhere.
Some might consider it petty, but the Niners can justify it under the guise of trying to get someone to trade for him even if they know that almost certainly will not happen.
This whole saga has been ugly and drawn out, and at this point, it will be a relief when it ends. Then, finally, Lynch won’t have to make bogus sales pitches for a guy they never should have signed to an extension in the first place.
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