NFL Rumors: 49ers 'Prefer' to Trade Deebo Samuel over Aiyuk amid Contract Talks

If the San Francisco 49ers move a wide receiver this offseason in a trade, expect it to be Deebo Samuel, not Brandon Aiyuk.

According to ESPN's Dan Graziano: "First of all, my understanding is that the Niners would prefer to move Samuel, not Aiyuk. [Ricky] Pearsall is more similar as a player to Samuel than he is to Aiyuk. Samuel is scheduled to earn nearly $21 million in salary and count more than $28.6 million against their salary cap in 2024. But in large part because of those numbers, Samuel is the more difficult of the two to trade."

That mirrors a report from Mike Silver from the first night of the NFL Draft:

Much of what makes Samuel special—his ability to move around the formation as a receiver and running back and breaking off big plays with the ball in his hands—is the same sort of versatility that Christian McCaffrey also offers. Aiyuk's abilities on the outside offer a more unique skill set for San Francisco in particular.

Keeping both Samuel and Aiyuk would be expensive, though it's a possibility. The former has just two years left on his deal, while Aiyuk will be a free agent next offseason after playing on the fifth-year option in 2024.

The Niners have been knocking on the door for a title in recent years, though it hasn't quite opened for them yet. Losing either Samuel or Aiyuk would make those efforts all the more difficult.