The San Francisco 49ers may be looking to undo a mistake in very short order.

It wasn’t even seven months ago that the 49ers ended their stalemate with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk by signing him to a four-year, $120 million extension. Since then, they’ve had a mass exodus of players from the most recent Super Bowl run, and Aiyuk could be next.

If the 49ers trade Aiyuk by Apr. 1, they’ll escape his $22.5 million roster bonus for the 2025 season. They already dumped his fellow wideout, Deebo Samuel, to the Washington Commanders, but that won’t stop them from letting go of Aiyuk as well if it gives them financial breathing room.

Unfortunately, Aiyuk had an unproductive 2024 season, then suffered a torn ACL in Week 7. He was a popular trade target last offseason, but knowing how expensive his contract is now, it could be difficult for the 49ers to get the return they desire.

However, on Monday, Grant Cohn of 49ers On SI proposed that the 49ers could pull off a swap of Aiyuk and two premium draft picks to the New England Patriots to land the number-four pick in a loaded 2025 NFL Draft class.

“The 49ers (should call) the Patriots and offer them Aiyuk, the 11th pick and the 43rd pick for the 4th pick, which they could use to take Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter or Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, while the Patriots would get a No. 1 wide receiver to pair with Drake Maye,” Cohn wrote.

“Instead of trading Aiyuk for a player who might turn out to be nothing more than a backup, trade him in a package deal for a foundational player, someone the 49ers can build around for the next decade.”

Even if the Patriots wouldn’t end up taking this deal, it’s something they’d have to think about. New England entered the offseason with the most cap space of any team in the league, so the Aiyuk contract wouldn’t kill them in the short term, while they’d be getting a player who had 1,342 receiving yards just a season ago.

But having to make the trade before they know whether a star like Carter or Hunter might fall to them might be the risk New England isn’t willing to take. Still, it wouldn’t hurt San Francisco to try.

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