Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors are beginning to resurface once more

It looks as if the discussion about the 49ers possibly trading Brandon Aiyuk are starting to pick up again.

All offseason, the San Francisco 49ers have reiterated the notion they want to retain their best wide receiver from the last two seasons, Brandon Aiyuk, despite a high-profile contractual standoff and subsequent trade request.

Aiyuk is entering the final year of his current contract, and the Niners could apply the unpopular franchise tag on him in 2025 and 2026, should they so desire, meaning Aiyuk has little leverage in contract negotiations despite the wide receiver market exploding in recent months.

San Francisco, meanwhile, could have been proactive with Aiyuk by signing him to an extension earlier this summer before that market blew up.

Instead, Aiyuk apparently wants a deal worth roughly $30 million per season, consistent with what the market has shown. And the 49ers don't want to pay that much, thereby creating the impasse.

With Aiyuk staging a "hold-in" during training camp, physically attending the mandatory sessions but not practicing, the once-dormant talks of a trade have started to resurface.

Why?

Could 49ers cave and actually trade Brandon Aiyuk?

It makes little sense for the Niners to deal Aiyuk at this point. San Francisco is in win-now mode, and any trade that would ship mere NFL Draft capital back in exchange wouldn't help the 49ers' prospects for winning a Super Bowl this season whatsoever.

But the Niners also don't want a disgruntled star in the locker room, And it's also possible other teams would offer a player that could help San Francisco's current roster while taking on Aiyuk and meeting his contractual demands.

Those are the rumors that have started to surface.

According to Cam Marino of NFL Draft Buzz, both the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots have emerged as potential trade partners:

Lending some credence to the rumor, NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco shared the report and expanded on it, citing Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot in saying the Browns could ship veteran wideout Amari Cooper to the 49ers to help facilitate a trade.

Additionally, Maiocco suggested the Pats would engineer a deal by sending former Niners wideout Kendrick Bourne back to San Francisco as part of their own attempt to pry Aiyuk away.

Both of these scenarios should carry some weight. Maiocco has a very good pulse on what the 49ers are up to, and it's possible they're starting to realize that engineering a deal with Aiyuk is becoming less and less likely by the week. On top of that, Maiocco hinted at the potential of Aiyuk's camp already seeking out trades with other teams, leaving the Niners in a position where they can accept a deal to their liking.

If they ultimately elect to pursue such a route, which might be more possible now than what it seemed like earlier this offseason.

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