The lingering contract dispute between star receiver Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers came to a head Tuesday, with the wideout formally requesting a trade out of the organization.
Set to make $14.1 million on his fifth-year option this season, the 26-year-old — who ranked seventh in the league with 1,342 receiving yards and second among qualifiers with 17.9 yards per reception last season — has continued to seek a deal in the $30-$33 million range per season, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers offered a deal around $26 million in June.
While Aiyuk’s latest negotiation tactic is his most dire, it doesn’t necessarily mean he will actually leave San Francisco.
In fact, there’s a noteworthy precedent of the 49ers following a similar pattern with another standout pass-catcher: Deebo Samuel.
In April 2022, Samuel requested a trade away from San Francisco, partially due to him playing the last year of his rookie deal.
Instead of moving Samuel, general manager John Lynch stayed patient and ultimately rewarded Samuel with a three-year, $71.5 million extension in late July.
Three years prior, consistent kicker Robbie Gould also sought to be traded by the 49ers but was instead given a four-year extension in July 2019.
The principle of trade requests not coming to fruition extends well beyond the Bay Area, too.
In Cincinnati, star receiver Tee Higgins and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson both expressed interest in playing somewhere else this offseason, citing insufficient pay.
However, the Bengals haven’t budged on either.
With Higgins and the organization coming to the conclusion that no extension would be reached, and with Hendrickson seeming to backtrack with no signs of being dealt, it’s very likely that both play the 2024 season in black and orange.
A year ago, the NFL world was flipped upside-down after superstar Lamar Jackson announced he had requested a trade from the Ravens.
While teams’ lack of interest in surrendering the necessary assets for Jackson may have played a role, he ended up not heading anywhere — instead being awarded a five-year, $260 million deal to stay in Baltimore for the long haul.
Other notable players to leverage trade requests for headlining deals last year included Jonathan Taylor and Budda Baker.
However, there have been some recent examples of players’ trade requests being honored.
For instance, after the Steelers signed veteran quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason, incoming third-year Kenny Pickett reportedly asked out and was shipped to the Eagles.
Former Jets receiver Elijah Moore was ultimately dealt in March 2023 after asking to be moved in October 2022, too.
But the much broader trend appears to players utilizing trade desires as nothing more than fodder for new deals.
That concept is something the 49ers are acutely aware of — and why Aiyuk probably won’t play anywhere else this year.
