While no news has come out of Brandon Aiyuk’s meeting with the 49ers, Adam Schefter on Monday did dish out some info on trade talks San Francisco had regarding the wide receiver.
Schefter on ESPN’s NFL Live said the 49ers and Washington Commanders had talks about the receiver, but that San Francisco didn’t want to give up Aiyuk.
“There were some conversations at one point between the 49ers and the Commanders,” Schefter said. “The Commanders were interested, but they decided not to do that deal. And so the 49ers didn’t want to move on from Brandon Aiyuk anyway. And I know he spoke with Ryan Clark, but the fact of the matter is despite the fact he said the 49ers don’t want him back anymore — that’s just not true. They absolutely do want him back.”
It’s not entirely clear when these trade talks took place, but it was evident during the draft San Francisco was discussing such a deal with interested clubs. It was also evident they weren’t interested in moving on from Aiyuk unless they were fleecing a team in a trade. For example, if Washington called and inquired about Aiyuk’s availability, the 49ers probably asked for the No. 2 overall pick.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan consistently say they’re open to trading any player for the right price. Aiyuk may not have been “available” in the sense he was being shopped, but he certainly would have been available if a team with a top-five pick wanted to make such a swap.
Ultimately the way Schefter ended his report is the key factor in all of this. The 49ers want Aiyuk. They’re not at a price point he’s happy with yet because it’s not even July. History tells us San Francisco will have patience with such a contract negotiation and will start operating with more urgency closer to the start of training camp.
