San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been impressive in the last two seasons while coming to the near end of his rookie contract. The playmaker has tallied 15 touchdowns between the last two seasons.
In 2022, he accumulated 1,015 yards on 78 receptions. Last season, Aiyuk had 1,342 yards on three fewer catches than the year before.
He led the Niners in receiving in both years.
While it remains to be seen whether Aiyuk signs an extension or will finish his contract with the only team he has known, officially expiring at the end of 2024, there are a few times that may look to swoop up the dynamic route runner if San Francisco ultimatley elects to part ways with him prematurely.
Here are three teams that may be making an immediate phone call to the 49ers if that's the case.
1. Arizona Cardinals
While a trade within the NFC West is usually rare, especially between these two teams, the Arizona Cardinals are expected to have a high-end first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This becomes an intriguing trade asset the 49ers could acquire if they are to unload Aiyuk to Arizona.
It makes sense, too. The Cardinals are a few years away from competing and do not look to be much of a threat to San Francisco.
Furthermore, the Cardinals are expected to have north of $90 million in cap space next year to splurge in free agency. Meaning, the last place team in the NFC West may lure one of the Niners' offensive weapons away and provide the long-term contract he is looking for.
Aiyuk would fit nicely on this roster. The quarterback, Kyler Murray, is established as a dual threat with his arm and his running ability.
The Cardinals used the fourth overall pick to select rookie wideout Marvin Harrison, Jr. The former Ohio State receiver became a household name in 2022 and 2023 at the collegiate level.
The rest of the Cardinals' depth chart at wide receiver has Greg Dortch, Michael Wilson and newly acquired Zay Jones. The first two are in their mid-20s while Jones is 29 years old now.
Combined, those three receivers only tallied seven touchdowns and neither had more than 600 yards individually during the 2023 season.
By adding Aiyuk, the Cardinals instantly upgrade their receiver core and make Murray's job easier to score.
2. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots' name has come up the past few years as a potential suitor for either one of the 49ers' star receivers, Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. They still have more than $45 million in cap space this season and have more than $115 million going into 2025 as of now.
They have the ability to tender a lucrative deal to Aiyuk and become a threat to score again. The Pats' wide receivers from last year did not strike fear in opposing teams' secondaries.
Kendrick Bourne, also a former 49er, saw his season end early after eight games. Before tearing his ACL, he collected 37 receptions for 406 yards and four touchdowns.
While on pace to have his best season as a Patriot, yet, JuJu Smith-Schuster did not live up to the hype in his first year following him signing a three-year contract as he only took one pass to the end zone. He was benched for the season after New England won on the Thursday night game in early Decemberm upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers, his first team in the league.
Rookie DeMario Douglas offered some encouragement when quarterbacks Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe was throwing to him. Douglas caught the ball 49 times and accounted for 561 yards but no touchdowns.
The Patriots did add K.J. Osborn in free agency who had a decent year in Minneapolis with the Minnesota Vikings. The 27-year-old did not record a game with over 100 yards but did finish with 95 of them against the Detroit Lions and 99 at the Green Bay Packers last season.
With the addition of Aiyuk (and him signing a long-term deal for big money), the third overall selection in this year's draft, quarterback Drake Maye, is primed to have a play down field to extend the changes and light up the scoreboard.
3. Washington Commanders
One phone call has already been made to one of the Washington Commanders' players, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels (thank you, Brandon Aiyuk). The next contact between San Francisco and Washington could be between the two teams' general managers.
The Commanders offense was the fourth worst in the NFC in terms of points per game. No longer on the roster is quarterback Sam Howell who threw for 3,946 yards but had just as many touchdowns as he did interceptions with 21 of each.
Behind Daniels will be another second overall pick, albeit from way back when, Marcus Mariota. The Commanders also signed tight end Zach Ertz and running back Austin Ekeler after losing Antonio Gibson to New England.
The veteran wideout Terry McLaurin is a year from 30. He has at least four touchdowns and averaged a little more than 1,000 yards receiving a year, too.
Wide receiver Jahan Dotson has had a pair of productive seasons as of late. In his rookie year, he had 35 receptions for 523 yards and seven touchdowns. The second year talent followed that up with 49 receptions, 518 yards, and four scores.
Aiyuk is used to lining up with a dual-threat teammate who can catch the ball down field and also attack in the run game. Deebo Samuel has been that player for a few years now but look no further than Commanders rookie wideout Luke McCaffrey.
That's right! The brother of Christian McCaffrey has experience as a receiver and a rusher. In his last two seasons at Rice University, the younger McCaffrey had 19 total receiving touchdowns while pulling in a combined 129 catches for 1,715 yards. He also scored twice in 2021 as a rusher.
Adding Aiyuk now makes Washington a sleeper pick to catch up to the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles within the NFC East.
The Commanders have a little under $2.5 million in cap space now but look to have more than $80 million going into 2025. They can facilitate a deal with the 49ers to give Aiyuk a new home for a long time to come.