San Francisco 49ers superstar wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk officially requested a trade on Tuesday afternoon. Aiyuk and the 49ers have been involved in a months-long contract dispute. Despite his request, don't expect the Tennessee Titans to show any realistic interest.
Source: #49ers All-Pro WR Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade after an offseason of unsuccessful attempts to reach an extension.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 16, 2024
Despite a recent meeting, the Niners haven’t been willing to engage in negotiations since May so Aiyuk has respectfully asked out. pic.twitter.com/EWxYMvsHch
Aiyuk was the No. 25 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. Titans general manager Ran Carthon was the 49ers' director of player personnel then. Perhaps that connection would have meant something had Aiyuk's request arrived significantly earlier in the offseason calendar.
After all, Carthon has shown a willingness to acquire ex-49ers he's familiar with. Last offseason, his first on the job, Carthon signed three former San Francisco players in free agency in Arden Key, Daniel Brunskill and Azeez Al-Shaair. This offseason, he's shown a willingness to acquire talents his new coaching staff requested.
The Titans entered the offseason in desperate need of pass catchers to surround franchise quarterback Will Levis with. Carthon went out and got aggressive, signing Calvin Ridley to a four-year contract worth $92 million. He later added Tyler Boyd, who spent the previous five seasons alongside new head coach Brian Callahan with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Had Aiyuk requested his trade prior to the Ridley signing, it's not totally outside the realm of possibility to think the Titans would have entered the impending sweepstakes. Carthon and Callahan have both shown a willingness to spend major resources at wide receiver, and to acquire veteran superstars via trade. Approximately two weeks after signing Ridley, the Titans dealt a 2025 third-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.
In another universe, perhaps the Titans would have traded draft capital to San Francisco for Aiyuk, and spent the Ridley money on a cornerback. The way things played out arguably suits the Titans better. No cornerback with Sneed's shutdown abilities was available in free agency.
Dianna Russini mentioned that teams attempting to help a young QB on a rookie deal have shown interest in Aiyuk. The Titans technically fit that criteria, but Russini is likely referring to other teams. The Washington Commanders, who have one of Aiyuk's close friends in Jayden Daniels at quarterback, and former 49ers front-office exec Adam Peters at GM, come to mind. So do the New England Patriots, who are grooming rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
To his displeasure, Aiyuk is currently scheduled to play out the 2024 campaign on the fifth-year player option, one that will pay him $14.1 million this season. Reports indicate Aiyuk is seeking a long-term deal that approaches $30 million annually. The 49ers hold the leverage seeing that they could franchise tag him next offseason. They've also historically ignored these trade requests (Deebo Samuel) in the past, eventually finding common ground towards an extension.
Aiyuk probably would have interested the Titans in early March. They wisely didn't wait around for his situation to reach a boiling point, opting to use similar resources on Ridley and Sneed. If Aiyuk reaches free agency next offseason, a highly unlikely scenario, perhaps the Titans could revisit the thought.