Davante Adams can give Brandon Aiyuk advice about leaving a good team

Brandon Aiyuk wants a trade, but staying with a Super Bowl-caliber team like the 49ers might be wiser. Just ask Davante Adams.

How's the saying go? "The grass isn't always greener on the other side," or something like that.

You've probably been immersed in the saga surrounding San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk by now. He wants a deal worth approximately $30 million per year, while the Niners are much more comfortable paying him something in the range of $26 million to $28 million, annually.

The two parties haven't been able to reach an agreement all offseason, leading to both a trade request from Aiyuk and all kinds of speculation about his immediate future.

Including a boiling over of trade rumors in recent hours and days.

Aiyuk certainly needs to do what he thinks is best for himself and his family, and securing the biggest contract possible (no matter where) should factor into that decision. Meanwhile, the Niners don't want to ship Aiyuk for a ho-hum trade package, especially considering their current Super Bowl aspirations.

While Aiyuk might pay less attention to the second factor and heed his own needs first, he shouldn't completely discount the fact San Francisco doesn't exactly have to trade him to a contender.

In fact, departing a good team could be disastrous for Aiyuk's own career.

Just ask Las Vegas Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams.

Brandon Aiyuk should want to avoid Davante Adams' career path

According to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, the 49ers have trade framework in place with two teams: the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland might be much closer to contention than the Pats, the latter widely believed to be 2024's worst team in the NFL under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. But neither should be viewed as a legit squad with any realistic hope for a Super Bowl with a high-octane offense.

Adams, meanwhile, might want to shed light on the matter and caution Aiyuk about "leaving a good thing."

The former, of course, became a household name with the Green Bay Packers from 2014 through 2021, helping then-Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Co. emerge as a perennial Super Bowl threat. Yet Adams opted to depart the NFC North in 2022to join his boyhood team, the Raiders, and to play alongside a friend in quarterback Derek Carr.

But Carr fell out of favor, leading to Adams' well-documented frustrations with Vegas' 2023 quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, who was subsequently benched and has since been released, signing on with the Los Angeles Rams this offseason.

Now, Adams can anticipate catching passes from one of two quarterbacks, Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell. Not exactly the most promising of pairings.

True, Adams bested over 1,100 yards in his two seasons with Las Vegas, but he's no longer seen as the kind of high-profile player he once was.

Considering the Raiders' own struggles in getting back to relevancy that have lasted for nearly two decades, Adams has ended up in the football equivalent of purgatory.

Aiyuk, meanwhile, is still in an ideal situation. Already their leading receiver from the last two seasons, the Niners have stability at head coach in Kyle Shanahan, have a franchise quarterback in Brock Purdy and have been to the NFC Championship game in each of the last three seasons, currently boasting a roster that can get back to the Super Bowl once more.

If anything, Aiyuk should consider the kind of offer San Francisco has on the table, understanding that he's in a position to thrive as the team's No. 1 pass-catching weapon.

Or, he could opt to bet on himself by playing on the final year of his contract, then choosing to reevaluate his circumstances entering 2025.

Both of those options might be better than heading off to a scuffling franchise.

Just ask Adams.

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