Brandon Aiyuk is one of the NFL’s premier wideouts, and it’s no surprise that he wants a big payday. After seeing recent deals like AJ Brown’s, Amon-Ra St. Brown’s and Justin Jefferson’s, Aiyuk may be envying his fellow pass catchers and their new salaries. Aiyuk by his own admission loves being a San Francisco 49er. And why wouldn’t he? The team has made three NFC Championships and a Super Bowl in his four years.
The issue, however, is that Aiyuk and the team can’t agree on the right price point. As a result, after months of subliminal shots, Aiyuk officially requested a trade. With this news, we take a look at three possible trade destinations for the All-Pro wideout.
Pittsburgh Steelers
While the QB situation is uncertain with an aging Russell Wilson and an unproven Justin Fields, Pittsburgh is still a spot that Aiyuk himself has guessed he could be traded to if he is dealt. The Steelers dealt former Pro-Bowl Wide Receiver Dionate Johnson this offseason, so there isn’t much depth in the room aside from George Pickens at the moment. The Steelers possess one of the league’s toughest defenses and an elite Head Coach. With top three cap space in 2025 and 2026, per overthecap.com, the Steelers could feasibly give Aiyuk the extension he seeks.
Washington Commanders
Washington is going to try to build around their new rookie QB Jayden Daniels. The new formula in the league when drafting a young QB is to put as many resources as possible around them and set a 2-3 year clock to evaluate. With Terry McLaurin still churning along but getting older, the Commanders likely would like to add more young receiving depth. On top of that, Aiyuk was college teammates with Daniels at Arizona State, where he posted 1192 yards in his final season as a Sun Devil. The cap situation, like Pittsburgh and the next team on this list, is ideal. The Commanders rank 2nd, 4th and 6th in cap space through 2026 (overthecap).
New England Patriots
The Patriots find themselves in a similar boat to the Commanders. Despite not possessing a McLaurin-level WR, the Pats have rookie QB Drake Maye coming in, with a ton of cap space (1st and 2nd through 2025, per overthecap). While the Pats did draft rookie Wideouts Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker to accompany Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas, they don’t have anyone with the pedigree of Aiyuk. With an elite defense like Pittsburgh, and an exciting rookie QB to pair with loads of money like Washington, the Patriots may have the best combination of circumstances to make a run at the 26-year-old.