The San Francisco 49ers may have given legitimate consideration to trading Brandon Aiyuk this offseason, but they reportedly had no intention of letting him go unless they could find a replacement.
Aiyuk and the 49ers finally agreed to a contract extension on Thursday, with the veteran receiver signing a 4-year, $120 million extension. Shortly after news of the deal surfaced, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Niners were only willing to trade Aiyuk if they could replace him with another “top-flight” receiver.
Russini says Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton is one player who would have fit the bill. The 49ers offered a third-round pick for Sutton, but Denver declined.
The 49ers only were willing to trade Brandon Aiyuk if they could get a top-flight WR to replace him. They offered a third-round pick to Denver for Courtland Sutton, and then would’ve dealt Aiyuk to the Steelers, but the Broncos declined the offer.
So, he stays in SF.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 29, 2024
Sutton, a second-round pick in 2018, has not exactly been a stud with the Broncos. He has once season with more than 1,000 receiving yards, and that was in 2019. He had 59 catches for 772 yards and an impressive 10 touchdowns last year, however. Sutton has also had to play with an unsettled quarterback situation throughout his career.
The 49ers may have felt they could get elite production out of Sutton in their offense. Either way, they got to keep their draft pick by signing Aiyuk to a new deal, even if they may have botched the negotiations a bit.
