Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. Aiyuk has been looking to get paid on par with the top receivers in the league around $30 million a year. He finished the 2023 season with a NFL high 17.9 yards per reception. According to ESPN next gen stats that takes into account the ability to get open, catch the ball and gain yards after catch, Aiyuk finished number one overall. The volume could be higher for Aiyuk, but he has to contend for targets with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and of course Christian McCaffrey. As you can see Aiyuk maximized every opportunity he recieved and deserves to be paid so. Unfortunately for Aiyuk, he has no leverage whatsoever over the Niners. He is most likely to play the 2024 season on his fifth-year option and will be franchise tagged for the 2025 season.

With that said, Aiyuk is still the Niners top wide receiver option. As long as Aiyuk can put the contract dispute behind him he should be able to continue on the same track he laid in 2023 when he finished as WR14. His current ADP is WR13, so the market is expecting a repeat of 2023. Let’s hope he can continue to ball out and get that cash for himself and fantasy players.