San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk broke his Instagram silence with a cryptic message as trade rumors surrounding the 26-year-old continue to ramp up.
On Saturday, the 49ers traded All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round pick. Less than a year after signing a four-year extension worth $120 million, however, Brandon Aiyuk may also be on the trade block.
Speaking on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter opined that the 49ers “would listen, absolutely” to trade offers for Aiyuk. The 2020 first-round pick was having a down 2024 season before suffering a torn ACL that ended his campaign.
For the first time since Aug. 24, Aiyuk shared an Instagram post with lyrics from the 2021 song “Bigger Than Life or Death” by EST Gee.
You can check out the IG post here.
The timing of Aiyuk’s post is certainly fascinating with trade winds ramping up on Tuesday. Will the 49ers actually trade their two best wideouts in the same offseason, though? Stay tuned.
"With the financial situation that the 49ers are in they're open to listening on just about anybody..
If there's a team out there that is willing to take on the Brandon Aiyuk contract I'm sure they would listen" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/nBHyfneg5l
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 4, 2025
The 49ers face several difficult roster decisions with a cap crunch ahead. They have to extend quarterback Brock Purdy, who has one year remaining on his rookie deal. General manager John Lynch almost traded Aiyuk last year, but after tiring negotiations, the two sides were able to complete an agreement on a new deal.
49ers Should Keep Brandon Aiyuk
The 49ers are built to win now with the likes of Aiyuk, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner in their primes. It doesn’t make sense to trade Aiyuk unless they get equal value in return, but that’s unlikely given his injury history and hefty contract.
San Fran’s best bet is to keep Aiyuk for now and see if they can re-emerge as a contender after a disastrous 6-11 season.
