It is not even close which Brandon Aiyuk trade package is best for the 49ers

A bombshell in the Brandon Aiyuk saga was dropped this week. With reporting suggesting that the San Francisco 49ers are in active trade talks with several teams, it is incredibly obvious which potential trade proposal would be the best for the Niners.

Reporter Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area has reported that several teams are in the running for Aiyuk. It seems as if the New England Patriots are no longer in the running, but the two teams who still seem to have a chance at landing Aiyuk are the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

While the Steelers appear to be the front-runners right now, it is clear that a trade with the Browns would be much better for San Francisco.

Maiocco reports that a deal with the Browns could include Amari Cooper. While Cooper is now 30 years old, he is still a very good NFL wide receiver. Last season with Cleveland, he had 1,250 receiving yards and five touchdown catches.

He is still very effective.

The Niners are in a win-now mode. They cannot afford to waste the few years of championship window that they have remaining. If they are going to give up an elite receiver like Aiyuk, they absolutely must bring in an elite receiver to replace him.

The Niners have solid receivers on the team like Jauan Jennings, but no one who could obviously replace Aiyuk's production.

The Steelers have receiver George Pickens who is a solid receiver as well, but he does not have the same track record as Cooper, and it seems like the Steelers would not want to part ways with him in a trade anyway.

If the 49ers were to only get draft picks for Aiyuk, that would be a grave error. Sure, that could maybe help them get a decent player down the line but there is no guarantee that anyone they draft would be as effective as Aiyuk. They drafted Ricky Pearsall this year but we do not know how he will pan out.

In sum, the Niners should only give up Aiyuk if they can get a proven wide receiver in return. While this is not entirely in their control (Aiyuk would have to agree to a contract with the team they trade him to), the Niners need to do everything they can to win right now which is why they should not settle for anything less.

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