One of the biggest possible moves in a 49ers offseason full of cost-cutting measures may not come to fruition.
San Francisco is not expected to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk before Tuesday, when he is set to receive a $22.85 million roster bonus, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday, adding that the 49ers are unlikely to trade Aiyuk this offseason after he receives the bonus.
Aiyuk’s four-year, $120 million contract signed late last August is one of the most expensive deals on the 49ers’ books as they attempt to clear space for an expected mega-extension for quarterback Brock Purdy. It is also likely a significant hurdle in negotiations with any team interested in adding Aiyuk, who is recovering from tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee last October in a loss to the Chiefs.
The injury limited Aiyuk to seven games in 2024, when he caught just 25 passes for 374 yards and did not score a touchdown, a disappointing follow-up to being named a second-team All-Pro player in a breakout 2023 season as the 49ers made a run to the Super Bowl.
The five-plus months between the Super Bowl loss to Kansas City and Aiyuk signing his contract featured all sorts of posturing on social media and trade discussions as the 49ers appeared poised to send the receiver to Pittsburgh and he was also tied to another AFC North team in the Cleveland Browns. The 49ers also drafted Ricky Pearsall Jr. in the first round despite having an established receiving trio of Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, alongside All-Pro receiving options in tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey.
Jennings received a second-round tender from the 49ers and Kittle may be up for an extension, but Samuel was traded to Washington for a fifth-round pick in the 49ers’ cap purge. That will be the extent of the cost-cutting impact on the receivers room unless something significant changes before Tuesday.