Deebo Samuel's run with the San Francisco 49ers officially ended on Saturday with the Niners trading him to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round pick. This ends a trade saga that lasted multiple weeks with the 49ers moving on from the beloved fan favorite.
The 49ers are absorbing over $31 million in dead cap money by trading Samuel this offseason. Even with a bloated dead cap hit, the Niners have just over $34 million in cap space, so there is wiggle room to make roster improvements this offseason.
Perhaps the story of the offseason will be departing players, though. Prior to the Samuel trade, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the 49ers could be open to trading Brandon Aiyuk this offseason.
Even after the Samuel trade, Rapoport didn't rule out an Aiyuk trade. He outlined the challenges in trading Aiyuk but emphasized the fact that the 49ers have multiple people to pay this offseason, which puts an Aiyuk trade in the realm of possibility.
49ers could trade Brandon Aiyuk after Deebo Samuel, although it is unlikely
The door is not completely closed on the 49ers trading Aiyuk this offseason but it would be surprising for a multitude of reasons if it happened.
On the 49ers' side, the team would be stripping the offense of another top receiver ahead of what fans hope is a bounce-back year in 2025. Kyle Shanahan does a great job at getting the most out of every offensive player, but there would be inherent risk in this strategy.
Trading Aiyuk would also cost the 49ers more money if it happens before June 1, so that would defeat the purpose of needing to create salary-cap space. However, if Aiyuk is traded after June 1 is would free up over $6 million in cap space.
For an external team's point of view, trading for Aiyuk may be deemed too risky. While Aiyuk is a promising young wideout, he is coming off an ACL injury that may impact his production moving forward.
If the 49ers are willing to part ways with Aiyuk, the first question another team will ask is why. This will cause rightful concern over his ACL injury, which can derail a trade from happening.
It sounds like an Aiyuk trade is not off the table as anything could truly happen in San Francisco this offseason. However, it would still come as a huge shock if the 49ers actually pulled off a trade.