The report came in late last night following rumors of a trade being more likely than an extension for Aiyuk. All signs are pointing towards Aiyuk being moved sooner rather than later (assuming he can come to an agreement on a potential new contract), which would have huge ramifications across the board in fantasy land. A deal in Cleveland would reportedly involve WR Amari Cooper, where the 49ers and Browns would swap WR1s. Aiyuk would likely be in line for more targets in 2024 than he’s ever had in his career, in Cleveland, even with Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, and David Njoku comprising a very strong supporting cast. Meanwhile, Amari Cooper would likely take a small hit to his stock thanks to increased target competition (albeit in a better system and offense).
Should Aiyuk find his way to New England, we could write it in pen that he’s the clear No. 1 target in the Patriots’ passing attack. He’d be much more volume-dependent given that New England is projected to field a bottom-10 offense in 2024, but he’d earn the elusive true No. 1 WR workload he hasn’t been able to get in San Francisco. A deal in New England would reportedly involve former 49ers WR Kendrick Bourne, an addition that would have much less of an impact on the 49ers receiving corps than, say, the addition of Amari Cooper.
In any case, Deebo Samuel stands to benefit in a big way from a Brandon Aiyuk move, opening up increased opportunity through the air to complement his work in the ground game. Meanwhile, 49ers 1st-round WR Ricky Pearsall waits in the wings while the dust continues to stir up around Brandon Aiyuk’s future.