The San Francisco 49ers remain in a contract dispute with star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and it’s possible things end with him getting traded. The Las Vegas Raiders aren’t a team that needs wide receiver help right now but Aiyuk played at Arizona State while Antonio Pierce was a recruiting coordinator at the program.
Aiyuk has spoken previously about how he’s a fan of the coach. Recently, Pierce was speaking about how the Raiders lost running back Josh Jacobs in free agency and dropped a notable quote.
“Money talks, BS walks, right? And he had to do what’s best for him and his family and I wish him the best, but that one hurt,” Pierce said during his March 25 media availability.
Notably, shortly after Pierce’s comments made the round, Aiyuk took to his Instagram story and posted a series of emojis that mirrored what the coach said, which led to speculation online.
Aiyuk is coming off a career year with the 49ers where he had 1,342 receiving yards and was named Second-Team All-Pro. He’s set to play on his fifth-year option but has no contract past 2024. He likely wants to get paid but the 49ers have so much money tied up in other players.
Could Las Vegas Raiders Trade for Brandon Aiyuk?
Brandon Aiyuk is a fan of Antonio Pierce and also grew up in Nevada. Playing for the Raiders would allow him to be closer to his family. If Las Vegas is where he wants to play, there are some issues that would need to be worked out.
The Raiders already have two very good wide receivers in Jakobi Meyers and Davante Adams. They are also both on sizable contracts. The team can’t justify trading an asset to get Aiyuk and then proceed to pay him big money.
The only way a trade for him works is if Meyers or Adams is sent to San Francisco. Adams is a team captain and one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. It’s highly unlikely the team would trade him. Meyers has only been in Las Vegas a year but impressed with his toughness and versatility. Aiyuk is a more productive player but he’s also going to be more expensive. The Raiders aren’t paying a quarterback a ton of money so could choose to surround whoever the starter is with an abundance of receiving talent. That said, it’s still unlikely that Aiyuk will play in Las Vegas next season.
John Lynch Wants to Keep Brandon Aiyuk
Brandon Aiyuk was a first-round pick for the 49ers in 2020 and is a key part of their offense. Losing him would be a big blow to a team that made the Super Bowl last season.
While it looks like Aiyuk may have one foot out the door, general manager John Lynch remains hopeful that they’ll be able to retain the wide receiver.
“We’re actively talking with Brandon trying to figure something out,” Lynch said during his March 25 media availability. “We have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done to get something done and it takes two sides. So, can we do that? We’ll see. There’s a number of different directions that it could go but we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player, and we want him to be a part of the Niners. We’re going to work towards making that a reality.”
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