49ers’ brass leaves door open for Aiyuk, Samuel trade

Apr 26, 2024, 12:00 PM | Updated: 12:18 pm

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 10: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates a touchdown with Brandon Aiyuk #11 during the second quarter in the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

Night 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft was a shocking one for 49ers fans, now adding another wide receiver to the mix. But with that comes decisions, as both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk appear to be on the trade table now.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan were transparent about the situation, to an extent, Thursday night. The 49ers brass drafted Florida WR Ricky Pearsall with the 31st pick in the draft. The player is an instant contributor for the Red & Gold, able to fill a variety of roles.

But as previously stated, the addition comes with caveats, as both Samuel and Aiyuk could be on the table for other teams. While the 49ers brass didn’t mention an immediate trade for either player, anything seems possible at the moment.

"Never close the door on a trade."

Lynch and Shanahan say the 49ers remain in contract talks with Aiyuk and that Deebo "is part of this team" pic.twitter.com/Ta8s3lHJ5Y
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) April 26, 2024

“Never close the door on a trade. I mean, we’ll always listen and we have. But we like our group as it stands,” John Lynch said Thursday when asked about the trade rumors.

The 49ers’ star players have been involved in trade talks before, and were leading up to the start of Thursday’s event. But despite the rumors, Shanahan and Lynch made it clear that they want premium value to deal. They didn’t get that Night 1, instead looking forward to the current roster heading into next season.

“I know that we’re continuing to have positive talks with B.A. and we are really efforting to get something done with him. And we’re excited about continuing down that path,” Lynch said. “And Brandon being a part of this team. Deebo is a part of this team and a big part of this team. So, like I said, we feel great about that group and we feel like we just made it better with another really good addition to it who complements the group real well.”

The 49ers’ current core is possible entering the final year of a Super Bowl window, with changes expected after next season. Because of that, SF have been ahead of the curb on these transactions, and won’t close off business if the right deal presents itself.

“I can’t predict what [calls] we’re going to get,” Lynch stated. “I’m going to go home, go to bed, wake up, come in here tomorrow, and fire it up. Try to add some more really quality players to our team. This is always an exciting process and I’m looking forward to it.”

After Pearsall was selected, The SF Chronicle’s Mike Silver indicated that Samuel was more likely to be moved than Aiyuk. Those notions carried over into Friday, with New England Patriots reporters following up on the situation.

Lot of talk about Brandon Aiyuk possibly being moved, but league sources indicate Deebo Samuel is more likely to be traded, and that two of the teams at the top of round two – Buffalo and New England – have interest in the player.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) April 26, 2024

Deebo Samuel, 28, is entering the second year of his three-year, $72 million extension, set to have a cap hit of $28.9 million in 2024. If the 49ers were to trade the playmaker, that would be $22 million in dead money this season.

But after making the shocking decision to release former captain Arik Armstead this offseason, all bets seem off if the front office wants to reset the salary cap for 2025.

“Like I said, we don’t close the door on anything,” Shanahan stated.