The San Francisco 49ers are still trying to lock down wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to a long-term deal.
If they are unable to and are forced to trade him, these three teams would be nightmare landing spots.
At this point in the offseason, it seems like trading Aiyuk would be a tough proposition. If the Niners were prepared to move on without him, they probably would have dealt him a while ago before the NFL Draft.
Even so, the Niners did load up on wide receiver talent in free agency as well as the draft, which could suggest they were preparing for a world in which they cannot keep Aiyuk.
The 49ers would only trade Aiyuk if they received an offer they were blown away by.
But what if that potential offer came from one of the team’s biggest rivals?
It could be seen as a genius move, a key Niners rival making an offer they simply cannot refuse in order to lure him away.
Let’s look at the three teams Niners fans would hate to see Aiyuk play for.
49ers would hate to see Brandon Aiyuk play for one of these 3 teams
No. 1: Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are the natural enemy of the 49ers. Dating back to the 1970s, the two franchises have had a bitter rivalry highlighted by the 1981 NFC Championship game in which wide receiver Dwight Clark made “The Catch.”
The Niners have beaten the Cowboys in the playoffs in recent years as well, owning the rivalry as of late.
Even despite this bitter history, there have been trades between the two teams before as well as players that left one team to play for another. Edge rusher Charles Haley was traded from the Niners to the Cowboys in 1992 in one of the most bitterly remembered trades in franchise history. Cornerback Deion Sanders signed Dallas after helping the Niners win the 1994 Super Bowl. Just last year, the Niners traded quarterback Trey Lance to the Cowboys.
Trades between the two sides are not impossible. It would take the cowboys offering something pretty incredible for Aiyuk to get the 49ers to say yes. Probably a first-round pick and maybe even more.
It is obviously unlikely, but it would take a lot for the 49ers to willingly trade Aiyuk to Dallas.
No. 2: Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are the sworn enemies of the 49ers, too. This rivalry really took flight during the head coach Jim Harbaugh years when the teams were the two best squads in the NFC, and they faced off in many close contests highlighted by the bitter loss in the 2014 NFC Championship game.
The 49ers have had the better fortunes in the rivalry recently, winning both regular-season contests each of the last two years and beating the Seahawks in the 2022 NFC Wild Card playoff game.
Seeing Brandon Aiyuk play for the Seahawks would make many Niners fans sick. However, even though they are a division rival, perhaps the Niners feel that they are far enough ahead of the Seahawks in terms of talent that they could afford to give them Aiyuk so long as whatever they got back was sufficient.
It would be a risky gamble because Aiyuk would have the opportunity to burn the Niners two times a year. But weirder things have happened. Who would have thought cornerback Richard Sherman would one day be a Niner after he sealed the NFC Championship game for the Seahawks?
Of course, he was not traded to the 49ers but it still shows that weird things can happen.
No. 3: Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs may be the most hated team among 49ers fans because they have beaten the Niners twice in the Super Bowl in recent years. Seeing Brandon Aiyuk play for them would be terrible but could be possible.
Trading Aiyuk to the AFC would probably make more sense than trading him within the NFC, and especially the NFC West. The Niners would not have to worry about him in the playoffs except for the Super Bowl.
Like all of these, the Niners would have to get a massive haul in return. This could work to their benefit because perhaps they could weaken the Chiefs by taking away their draft picks or a key player. At this point, they may have to get creative to try and beat the Chiefs because other methods have not worked thus far.
But it would still make Niners fans sick to their stomach to see Aiyuk catching passes from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Crazy wide receiver trades happen. No one thought the Chiefs would trade Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, but it happened.
Perhaps a wild Aiyuk trade is the next thing to shock the NFL.
Of course, the ideal scenario would be for the Niners to keep Aiyuk in San Francisco. But should that possibility become untenable, then Aiyuk could be on the move.
Let's just hope it is not to one of these three teams reviled by 49ers fans.