The San Francisco 49ers have already exercised some major changes this offseason. The Niners return Robert Saleh as their defensive coordinator heading into next season, marking the biggest shift on the coaching staff.
Looking at their roster, the Niners have moved on from Deebo Samuel, knocking down the first domino of the offseason when they traded him to the Washington Commanders.
Of the two major changes, the Samuel trade could be the one with more of a lasting impact. That impact stems from a potential reset at the wide receiver next season. General manager John Lynch has not been shy in hiding this.
“I think since Kyle and I have been here, we’ve been certainly a top five, I believe, number two, cash spending team in the four years. Going into the fourth year, I think we’re the fourth highest cash spending team, so at some point you have to reset a little bit or at least recalibrate.
You can’t just keep pressing the pedal and I think there’s some good that could come out. We need to get younger, I think we’re the oldest team in football trying to make a run at the deal last year. And I think it’s good to constantly get younger.”
Those comments came at the NFL Scouting Combine just days before the Niners pulled the trigger on the Samuel trade. Now, Brandon Aiyuk could be next on the chopping block.
Bleacher Report has predicted a trade that would send Aiyuk to the Los Angeles Chargers for a third-round pick.
Aiyuk signed a four-year $120 million extension with San Francisco last offseason, placing a burden on the books. Based on Lynch’s perfectly clear mindset, it does not appear they have much interest on keeping him around.
If San Francisco wants to move on a deal like this one, involving an AFC team rather than an NFC foe provides some advantages as well. From the Chargers’ perspective, Aiyuk could be a major addition as they build around Justin Herbert.
The Niners have Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall ready to take on bigger roles next season at a much cheaper cost. Adding another draft pick to what they have in line for next season, a trade of Aiyuk makes a lot of sense for San Francisco.
A Aiyuk trade may gain more traction as the calendar moves closer to the draft and through the offseason.