5 potential replacements for Brandon Aiyuk (if 49ers trade him)

The biggest trade rumor surrounding the San Francisco 49ers this offseason has been about wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Despite his great 2023 campaign, he seeks a new deal and is seemingly not thrilled with the Niners right now.

If he is traded, here are five potential replacements for him.

To be clear, the 49ers have stood firm and been public about the fact that they want Aiyuk back. They understand that what he brings to the team is unique, and he will not be easily replaced.

However, if things deteriorate to a point where Aiyuk does not want to play for the 49ers going forward, they could be forced to trade him. We saw the Bills trade Stefon Diggs, so anything is possible.

If the Niners do end up trading Aiyuk, there are several avenues they could pursue to try to replace him.

This article will focus on free agents and options available in the draft, but they could try internal options or potentially swing another trade.

Here are several free agents they could pursue.

1. Tyler Boyd

Former Bengals wideout Tyler Boyd is a free agent. He is one of the top remaining free agents on the market and is coming off a season in which he had 667 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. 

That is a bit of a down year compared to earlier seasons like 2018 and 2019 in which he had over 1,000 receiving yards. He is 29 years old, so he brings a veteran presence to the team. He would not completely replace Aiyuk, but Boyd has proven that he can be a solid NFL receiver. Signing him would slightly appease fans who would be upset to see Aiyuk go given the fact that he is a solid producer.