Chad Johnson gets candid with Shannon Sharpe about 49ers Super Bowl window possibly closing with Brandon Aiyuk’s exit

Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson disagreed on whether the 49ers' Super Bowl window would close if they traded Brandon Aiyuk.

Chad Johnson gets candid with Shannon Sharpe about 49ers Super Bowl window possibly closing with Brandon Aiyuk’s exit

Chad Johnson on Brandon Aiyuk's trade rumors affecting 49ers Super Bowl chances (Image via IMAGO/X)

Brandon Aiyuk remains on the cusp of either a massive extension with the San Francisco 49ers or seeing himself traded to another team. According to Shannon Sharpe, Aiyuk leaving the 49ers could spell the end of the team’s hopes of back-to-back Super Bowl runs, which Chad Johnson disagreed with.

During the recent episode of their Nightcap podcast, Sharpe and Johnson discussed Aiyuk’s situation with the 49ers in length. Sharpe asked his co-host about his opinion on whether trading the all-pro receiver way will close the 49ers’ Super Bowl chances.

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Johnson, being a former receiver himself, claimed it would not. In his view, only the elites possess the ability to make a difference for the team. Apart from the chosen few, the other players are expendable.

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If you think about the NFL in general, receivers are a dime a dozen. The special ones are not. The top-5, the top-3, [is] special, but everyone outside that, is replaceable. You can find, and get that production from so many other players. Especially the ones who are gonna fill that spot.
Chad Johnson replied to Shannon Sharpe.

The way Johnson sees the situation, even after the 49ers trade Aiyuk, they are part of the Kyle Shanahan system of solving problems.

The way that offense is run, they’ll be fine. The way Shanahan calls plays, they’ll be fine. That [Super Bowl] window is definitely still there.
Chad Johnson added

The 49ers went to work in the offseason, giving new deals to Jauan Jennings and drafting Ricky Pearsall, who quickly earned the praise of his peers since joining the team. Players like Deebo Samuel, Ronnie Bell, Jacob Cowing, and Frank Darby only indicate the depth of the receiver core.

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Insider disclosed failed Brandon Aiyuk trade talks with the New England Patriots

Aiyuk’s constant knocking on General Manager John Lynch‘s door since the Super Bowl grew intensely in the last few weeks following the extensions of AJ Brown and Justin Jefferson in quick successions. It reset the wide receiver market to $35 million, compelling Aiyuk to hold out for more than Lynch’s initial offer of $28.5 million.

"Everyone outside...is replaceable" Chad Johnson surprisingly believes Brandon Aiyuk's trade will not close the 49ers Super Bowl window
Brandon Aiyuk (Image via IMAGO)

Lynch had to be frugal with his offer because of the 49ers’ tight salary cap. In the meantime, several teams contracted him, asking permission to speak with Brandon Aiyuk for a trade. Two names that showed the most interest were the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots until the Patriots’ head coach, Jerod Mayo, backed off.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on the entire situation on a recent episode of SportsCenter. Schefter revealed that the Patriots’ interests ended after they did not have any reciprocation from Aiyuk’s end.

They [the Patriots] weren’t getting a great vibe here as they tried to conduct communication with Brandon Aiyuk and his agent. And the longer it went on, the worse they felt about it, and eventually they said, 'What are we doing here? Let's just focus on the young receivers that we have’.
Adam Schefter said per Sports Illustrated

The Patriots were ready to give Aiyuk $32 million a year and a couple of second-round picks to the 49ers because, unlike the Niners, they have the second-most cap space and are in dire need of a #1 receiver. And yet even they backed out of the deal, leaving the Steelers as the front runners.

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