Five teams were ready to meet Brandon Aiyuk’s $28 million demands before draft

The teams were willing to pay Aiyuk the number he was demanding but were offering less in return to the 49ers.

Five teams were ready to meet Brandon Aiyuk’s $28 million demands before draft

Brandon Aiyuk (Image via Imago)

Brandon Aiyuk has run out of patience with the 49ers. The wide receiver asked to be traded from the team after months of negotiations resulted in no desirable outcome. It turns out that the team that has for the longest time been vocal about wanting to retain Aiyuk on the team attempted to flout trade offers in exchange for him before the draft.

The San Francisco 49ers attempted to reach out to other teams to determine if there was any other team that would be interested in paying Brandon Aiyuk the money he was looking for.

The number that would be acceptable by the wideout was pegged at $28 million. But this was before the Vikings offered Justin Jefferson his historic deal. There is a chance that the number is likely to have gone up substantially.

A Pro Football Talk report revealed that five teams were interested in offering Aiyuk the amount he had demanded. The odds of him getting traded were significant, however, the reason it did not work out was that the teams were not able to entice the 49ers with acceptable trade terms.

More teams expressed interest in trading for Brandon Aiyuk before the NFL Draft than after

Of the five teams that expressed interest in trading for Aiyuk, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Washington Commanders were frontrunners. The Pats offered a second-round pick in exchange for the wide receiver, but to the 49ers, that was not enough.

49ers reportedly do not 'intend' to trade Brandon Aiyuk despite his trade request
Brandon Aiyuk (Image via IMAGO)

After the NFL Draft concluded, teams’ interest in Aiyuk reduced. The Jefferson contract has further increased the market value of the wideout, which means that teams understand they will probably have to pay him more for a long-term deal in addition to giving up multiple picks in exchange for him.

For now, it appears that Brandon Aiyuk is on track to play out the final year of his rookie contract in the Bay Area. But things could change at any point. As the 49ers hope to open training camp, it is to be seen if the wideout will hold out.

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