The San Francisco 49ers have continued to be linked to potential trades involving wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, but general manager John Lynch sounds eager to put that speculation to rest.
In an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Thursday, Lynch said his goal is to keep the current roster together as much as possible. That means that, at least for now, he has no interest in trading either receiver.
John Lynch squashes the Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors, and it ready to run it back and keep the roster together
"That's my goal… we're past [the trade rumors] now."
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— KNBR (@KNBR) May 2, 2024
“I’m doing everything in my power to keep our roster together. That’s my goal,” Lynch said. “When you talk about guys like Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo, they’re guys we drafted. They’re guys we take a lot of pride in what they’ve become, who they’ve become, and we couldn’t be more proud of those guys. During the course of drafts and offseasons, do conversations happen? Absolutely, they do. We’re past that now, and we’re thrilled to add to that group.”
Aiyuk and the 49ers are locked in a contract dispute, and the team’s decision to take a wide receiver in the first round did nothing to quiet rumors that he may be on the move. Samuel was also a rumored trade chip as the 49ers tried to move up in the NFL Draft.
Ultimately, nothing happened, perhaps because the Niners simply did not get the kind of offer they were looking for. With the draft over with, the team appears content to move forward with both wide receivers, at least for the time being.
