Trade Proposal Sends 49ers All-Pro to Chiefs to Help 'Get Mahomes Ring 4'

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We unpack the idea of a Brandon Aiyuk to the Chiefs trade and what it could mean for the 49ers and Kansas City.

P atrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have won three Super Bowls since 2019, but they have also lost twice in the Big Game during that span.

Mitch Milani of Bleacher Report put together a group of trades he thinks would help guarantee Mahomes and company their fourth Super Bowl. One has the San Francisco 49ers sending wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to Kansas City in exchange for a future second-round pick.

During the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, rumors began to swirl when NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said the 49ers were “open to trading” Aiyuk in part to help free up cap space to pay quarterback Brock Purdy his lucrative contract extension. Insider Dianna Russini also said back in February that the Niners had received trade inquiries about the veteran WR, leading to further speculation.

The 49ers just inked Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million extension in August 2024, and by paying his $22.9 million roster bonus in April, they pretty much acknowledged, they were keeping him on the team moving forward. Still, the trade rumors don’t seem to be stopping, so let’s take a look at why — or why not — this trade could happen.

Aiyuk Is Coming Off a Serious Injury

GettyA new trade proposal would send San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a second-round pick.

Selected 25th overall in the 2020 draft by the 49ers, Aiyuk quickly made an impact as a rookie, appearing in 12 games and finishing with 60 catches for 748 yards and five touchdowns.

In 2022, his third year, he hauled in 78 catches for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns across all 17 games. He followed that up with a career-best 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, earning second-team All‑Pro honors. He ranked second in the NFL in yards per reception (17.9) and yards per target (12.8) that year. He’s also performed in high-leverage situations, posting 16.4 yards per catch in nine postseason games.

Unfortunately, Aiyuk suffered a huge blow Week 7 of his 2024 campaign when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL, which, coincidentally, occurred against the Chiefs. Before the injury, he had already logged solid numbers—25 catches for 374 yards in just seven games (15.0 yards per catch)—but was forced to miss the remainder of the season.

His injury and subsequent recovery could throw a major wrench in any trade plans, whether the Niners wanted to trade him or not.

Why a Brandon Aiyuk Trade to the Kansas City Chiefs Likely Won’t Happen

For Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense—which has consistently relied on aging tight end Travis Kelce in recent years—adding a receiver of Aiyuk’s caliber would add another explosive downfield threat.

Mahomes often thrives when he has a deep, reliable slot or an X‑receiver to open up the field. Aiyuk’s route running and contested-catch proficiency would complement Mahomes’s elite arm strength nicely, there’s no doubt about it. The Chiefs have lacked a pure field-stretching wideout in recent seasons, and Aiyuk would give them that.

But Aiyuk is currently spending most of his 2025 offseason — land ikely the upcoming preseason — still rehabbing. While the Chiefs would be better with him in the mix, there’s inherent risk in banking on a wideout coming off a severe knee injury returning to pre‑injury explosiveness.

Aiyuk is arguably one of the league’s most dangerous and versatile wide receivers when he’s healthy. But Purdy and the 49ers need him just as badly as Mahomes does if San Francisco wants to return to the Super Bowl again. That, coupled with his injury status, will likely make trade ideas relatively moot.

Beth Mishler-Elmore Beth Mishler-Elmore is a Heavy sports contributor based in the Midwest, focusing on the NFL, NBA and WNBA. More about Beth Mishler-Elmore