The Brandon Aiyuk saga has finally come to an end after the wide receiver agreed to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $120 million on Thursday. Before that deal was struck, the San Francisco 49ers explored fallback options.
San Francisco would have been willing to trade Aiyuk had they found a top-flight receiver to replace him, according to The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini. They offered a third-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Courtland Sutton, but Denver declined the offer, Russini reported Thursday.
Had the Broncos accepted San Francisco’s offer for Sutton, the 49ers then would have traded Aiyuk to the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Russini.
Denver turning down a third-round pick shows what the team’s front office thinks of Sutton. The team previously spurned trade interest from the Steelers and Los Angeles Rams earlier this year, and the Baltimore Ravens had an offer for Sutton rejected last offseason.
Sutton, 28, is coming off a 10-touchdown season in 2023. He is poised to be rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s favorite target this fall, so it’s understandable that the Broncos would rather keep the player than gain another draft pick.
