Brandon Aiyuk's status on the San Francisco 49ers' roster was said to be up in the air going into the 2024 NFL Draft, Deebo Samuel's was thought to be secure.
It turns out either one could be made available for a trade.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported hours before the first round of the draft that the 49ers have had "conversations" with teams, including one in the top 10, about dealing either Aiyuk or Samuel to move up in the first round.
Mike Silver of The San Francisco Chronicle, in reporting the 49ers were still open to trading Aiyuk despite publicly insisting otherwise, said San Francisco had assured Samuel he would not be dealt this offseason.
Samuel was signed to a three-year, $71.55 million contract extension in 2022 after an All-Pro year in 2021.
Contract negotiations with Aiyuk, the Niners' leading receiver in each of the last two seasons, are seemingly nowhere near reaching a positive resolution. In his report, Silver indicated the 49ers have so far been reluctant to meet Aiyuk's demand of a contract worth over $25 million annually. Their cause was not helped by Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions singing a four-year, $120 million extension on Wednesday.
The 49ers are reported to want a first-round pick in any trade of Aiyuk, though a rival general manager reportedly told Silver he believes San Francisco might be willing to accept a second-round pick.
That remains to be seen, but for now it appears that, with a potentially historic contract on the horizon for quarterback Brock Purdy next offseason, the 49ers are prepared to relieve themselves of the burden of having two of the highest-paid receivers in football by using one of their pair All-Pro wideouts to make a move that would shake up the draft.
The first round of the 2024 draft could prove to be an extremely momentous one in this era of 49ers football.
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