Best trade fits for Brandon Aiyuk: Five teams that make sense

With one week to go before training camp starts and so far unable to secure the long-term contract extension he wants, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers.

Of course, this does not mean he will get one. After all, this is the NFL, not the NBA, and plenty of player trade requests go unrequited in this league. Tee Higgins of the Bengals requested a trade earlier this offseason and didn’t get one. Deebo Samuel Sr. requested a trade from the 49ers in 2022 and also didn’t get one — though Samuel did ultimately get the contract he wanted, while we still don’t know whether Aiyuk will get his extension. And with the Niners all-in to win this season’s Super Bowl, they have no reason to want to deal away one of their best players.

San Francisco can move on from Samuel next offseason and sign Aiyuk at that point, which may be its plan. You can understand why Aiyuk might not want to wait around on the possibility, but it’s really not up to him. The Niners don’t have to trade him, and as of now, they don’t want to move the WR. Nevertheless, let’s have some fun.

If the Niners were to change their minds and decide to trade Aiyuk, here’s a partial list of teams that might make for a good landing spot.