Wide receiver Stefon Diggs was traded by the Buffalo Bills to the Houston Texans in a blockbuster deal that made headlines on Wednesday. Throughout the course of his long career, Diggs has been extremely prolific; he has exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in six different seasons.
Even though Diggs’ 2023 season was his least successful since 2019, the seasoned receiver nevertheless finished the year with 1,183 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Diggs was acquired by the Bills in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick, with the Texans receiving a 2024 sixth-round pick.
In the meantime, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s contract extension is being negotiated with the San Francisco 49ers. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars are reportedly interested parties in the franchise’s standout receiver, despite general manager John Lynch’s declaration that the team has no plans to trade him. Lynch declared the reports to be untrue.
Aiyuk’s future is a subject of speculation following the Diggs deal. Aiyuk was named by Yardbarker’s Mike Santa Barbara as one of the next receivers that might find themselves on a different roster this offseason. He brings up the claim made by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network that Aiyuk and the 49ers are “not close” in their talks.
“Aiyuk and the Niners seemingly want the same result, but getting there is easier said than done, especially since the team already has three players making north of $20 million with quarterback Brock Purdy’s payday looming,” Santa Barbara wrote.
Aiyuk was included in the list of receivers that could be transferred before or during the 2024 NFL Draft by Cory Woodroof of For the Win.
“Aiyuk has been a stellar part of the 49ers offense since being drafted, but he’s due a contract extension and San Francisco might not be willing to pay it with money so tight within the franchise,” Woodroof wrote. “It’s possible that these two sides work out a deal, but it feels just as possible that the 49ers trade him for a first-round draft pick to a team that misses out on one of the draft’s top receivers.”
Naturally, it’s critical to remember that Aiyuk’s prospective value may not be directly comparable to the Diggs exchange. Aiyuk recently turned 26, and his developing talent makes him a desirable asset despite Diggs’ advanced age of thirty. Over the past two seasons, Aiyuk has over 1,000 receiving yards in both, including a career-high and team-high 1,342 yards in 2023.
The 49ers might get a lot more in return for Aiyuk than the Texans gave for Diggs because he has all the attributes that clubs look for. According to the earlier story about the 49ers’ interest in the Jaguars, the 49ers wanted to trade Aiyuk for a player and the No. 17 overall pick. Once more, Lynch denied having had any conversations with other teams.
Aiyuk is essential to the 49ers’ future success, according to an anonymous NFL source who spoke with Mike Sando of The Athletic recently. However, the executive thinks the forthcoming draft could affect the offseason talks with the receiver.
“Aiyuk is so integral to what they do, more so than Deebo Samuel is, that I’d try to get something done with him before Justin Jefferson and these other receivers get deals and the price goes up,” the executive explained. “Because this is a deep receiver draft, they may try to do it in reverse. If there is something they can get done from a draft standpoint, then it could be moving Aiyuk or knowing their feet are to the fire and they have to extend him.”
Because Aiyuk is now signed through the 2024 season on a team-executed fifth-year option that will pay him $14.124 million, the 49ers have some negotiating muscle. In 2025 and 2026, they can also use the franchise tag, which might keep him under contract for the following three seasons.
Aiyuk’s happiness, a long-term contract from the receiver, and the continuation of the bond he has built with quarterback Brock Purdy are the ideal outcomes.
“I mean, it’s hard to be successful at quarterback if you don’t have real good receivers,” head coach Kyle Shanahan recently stated. “So it starts there with Brandon, and I think that’s real big for Brock in his future, making sure we got a good group for him going forward.”