It is highly unlikely that the brain trust of 49ers head coach John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan will spend much time listening to advice from former players.
like DeSean Jackson on possible staff moves. But that won’t stop Jackson from contributing to the team, especially in a potential trade for fellow linebacker Brandon Aiyuki.
After a successful two weeks on the free agent market, especially patching roster holes.
on the defensive side of the ball, with moves to strengthen the forward and quarterback positions, the 49ers face an offseason.
And the key question here is what to do with Aiyuki, a breakout star who emerged as one of the top 10 or 12 receivers in the game last year.
The 49ers are struggling to get Aiyuki a satisfactory new contract. enters its fifth year of option period.
And for Jackson, that means sending Aiyuki elsewhere via trade, perhaps to Pittsburgh. Aiyuki’s team is openly flirting this season.
Up and Adams@UpAndAdamsShow·Follow”Let this guy be free and go make deals somewhere else.
“@DeSeanJackson10 #49WR Brandon Aiyuki related trade rumors 👀
@heykayadams9:28 · March 22, 202453ReplyBrandon Aiyuk Will Steelers make openers?
Jackson spoke with Kay Adams on the podcast of Up and Adams Show.week as a topic discussed.
Adams noted that Aiyuk, who rarely posts on Twitter/X, tweeted to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin: “They say we’re twins again.
What do you think?”Jackson felt that whether it is the Steelers or another team, the 49ers should be ready to send Aiyuki to another team.
“It is difficult to continue with him. “I don’t think they’re going to be able to get a deal done in San Francisco when he goes into his fifth year,” Jackson said.
“It’s tough, man. Let this guy be free and go sign somewhere else, because in the fifth year, you really should go get that extension.”
I don’t think he wants to go a full season to get . attach another bag or your own bag.
So I see him trying to move on from there.”Aiyuki is technically still under contract with the 49ers and has a $17.4 million five-year option.
But he will almost certainly wait for a new deal before playing on that contract.
Spotrac estimates Aiyuki’s market value at $24 million a year, or $96 million over four years.
Jackson could envision Aiyuki as a black man for the Steelers. “If it fits — Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, they just lost, they traded Diontae Johnson to Carolina.
They need another receiver. I sure like that,” Jackson said.49ers want to keep WRs together First things first , all is not lost regarding the possibility of the 49ers re-signing Aiyuki.
The team would have to restructure or move some other contract to create enough.
Cap space for Aiyuki – According to Over The Cap , the 49ers have about $10 million to work with this year – and shaking his hand this season may still only be a stopgap measure.
But if the 49ers want another crack at the Super Bowl with this group, they can.Aiyuk had 1,342 yards on just 75 catches last year, and his 17.9 yards per catch was second in the NFL.
.Lynch said at the NFL Draft Combine that keeping Aiyuki won’t be easy, but he plans to make it happen.
“We have challenges,” Lynch said on Pro Football Talk. – We have many good players, many good players that we have rewarded.
Brandon, who we think highly of, is one of my favorite guys in our building, the way he approaches the game.
He is a competitor. He is a warrior. He plays with such physicality, beauty as well, as his body can.
“And then he has a knack for making plays when [they] matter the most, and he’s served us very well as a franchise.
And I think we have a good track record of extending players that are important to us, and Brandon is a guy we want to keep for a long time.
”NBA d by Sean Heavy.com A veteran sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB,
Deveney has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of NBA experience, including 17 years as NBA editor of Sporting News. is the author of seven nonfiction books, including “Fun Town,” “Before Wrigley Was Wrigley” and “Facing Michael Jordan”
