{"id":128944,"date":"2025-12-06T11:59:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T11:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944"},"modified":"2025-12-06T11:59:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T11:59:49","slug":"interesting-recovery-project-brandon-aiyuks-departure-from-the-49ers-opens-the-door-for-a-blockbuster-trade-bringing-falcons-star-tight-end-back-to-san-francisco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944","title":{"rendered":"“Interesting recovery project”: Brandon Aiyuk’s departure from the 49ers OPENS THE DOOR for a “blockbuster” trade bringing Falcons’ star tight end back to San Francisco."},"content":{"rendered":"

San Francisco may have an interesting Plan B if\/when they part ways with their star wideout.<\/p>\n

\""Interesting<\/figure>\n

Gone are the days of wondering how wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers can salvage their well-chronicled and publicly turbulent relationship. Throwing money at the problem didn\u2019t fix much, considering the two sides are reportedly heading toward a shocking split following the 2025 NFL campaign.<\/p>\n

Aiyuk has\u00a0all but checked out on the Niners,\u00a0and it sounds like he\u00a0may have already played his last down\u00a0with the team. His fallout in San Francisco puts general manager John Lynch in a tricky spot, but it also presents a potential opportunity to address the matter.<\/p>\n

The Athletic\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0Matt Barrows was asked about the financial flexibility created by getting Aiyuk\u2019s guaranteed money for 2026 off the books in\u00a0his latest mailbag ($). By the sound of it, the 49ers will have options, with Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts being mentioned as a possible target.<\/p>\n

49ers insider suggests Brandon Aiyuk fallout could lead San Francisco to Falcons TE Kyle Pitts<\/h2>\n

Pitts is slated to hit (unrestricted) free agency for the first time as a pro after a wildly disappointing yet productive five-year stint in Atlanta. He makes for an intriguing reclamation project who could greatly benefit from a change of scenery. The idea of him is better than the actual thing at this point, but head coach Kyle Shanahan has utilized players of his archetype.<\/p>\n

\""Interesting<\/figure>\n

Barrows likened Pitts to retired Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Reed, who started and ended his career with Shanahan, albeit on different clubs (including San Francisco).<\/p>\n

With that in mind, we may see history repeat itself, especially given the circumstances beyond Aiyuk.<\/p>\n

San Francisco figures to have a need and means to add at least one pass-catcher. Between Aiyuk\u2019s presumed departure and the uncertain futures of fellow wideouts Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne, the receiver room might look quite different next season. So, Barrows wonders if Pitts can plug one of the holes:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201dAs far as flashy signings, I wonder whether Shanahan would be interested in Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts as someone who could step into the \u2018big slot\u2019 role should Jennings move on. Shanahan had a similar player in Washington \u2014 and briefly with the 49ers \u2014 in Jordan Reed.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n

Matt Barrows of The Athletic<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Barring any unforeseen developments, the 49ers should have a means and need for Pitts\u2019 services. His combination of size, speed, athleticism and ball skills makes him a matchup nightmare when deployed properly. Reed serves as proof that Shanahan knows how to apply the 2021 No. 4 overall pick\u2019s skill set to an offense.<\/p>\n

Only four tight ends have\u00a0more receiving yards than Pitts (3,192)\u00a0since he entered the league. This would be a remarkable feat for many, but not for someone who was universally touted as a generational prospect.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, he only turned age 25 in October; there\u2019s a lot more meat on the bone here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Francisco may have an interesting Plan B if\/when they part ways with their star wideout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":128945,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n"Interesting recovery project": Brandon Aiyuk's departure from the 49ers OPENS THE DOOR for a "blockbuster" trade bringing Falcons' star tight end back to San Francisco. - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""Interesting recovery project": Brandon Aiyuk's departure from the 49ers OPENS THE DOOR for a "blockbuster" trade bringing Falcons' star tight end back to San Francisco. - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"San Francisco may have an interesting Plan B if\/when they part ways with their star wideout.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-06T11:59:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/176492974510242.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944\",\"name\":\"\\\"Interesting recovery project\\\": Brandon Aiyuk's departure from the 49ers OPENS THE DOOR for a \\\"blockbuster\\\" trade bringing Falcons' star tight end back to San Francisco. - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/176492974510242.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-06T11:59:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-06T11:59:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/176492974510242.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/176492974510242.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"“Interesting recovery project”: Brandon Aiyuk’s departure from the 49ers OPENS THE DOOR for a “blockbuster” trade bringing Falcons’ star tight end back to San Francisco.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\",\"name\":\"XuanTan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"XuanTan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"Interesting recovery project\": Brandon Aiyuk's departure from the 49ers OPENS THE DOOR for a \"blockbuster\" trade bringing Falcons' star tight end back to San Francisco. - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"Interesting recovery project\": Brandon Aiyuk's departure from the 49ers OPENS THE DOOR for a \"blockbuster\" trade bringing Falcons' star tight end back to San Francisco. - NEWS USA","og_description":"San Francisco may have an interesting Plan B if\/when they part ways with their star wideout.","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-12-06T11:59:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/176492974510242.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"XuanTan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"XuanTan"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944","name":"\"Interesting recovery project\": Brandon Aiyuk's departure from the 49ers OPENS THE DOOR for a \"blockbuster\" trade bringing Falcons' star tight end back to San Francisco. - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/176492974510242.webp","datePublished":"2025-12-06T11:59:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-06T11:59:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/176492974510242.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/176492974510242.webp","width":1200,"height":1200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=128944#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"“Interesting recovery project”: Brandon Aiyuk’s departure from the 49ers OPENS THE DOOR for a “blockbuster” trade bringing Falcons’ star tight end back to San Francisco."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06","name":"XuanTan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"XuanTan"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=128944"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128946,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128944\/revisions\/128946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/128945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=128944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=128944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=128944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}