Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterApr 26, 2024, 01:57 AM ET
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Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN’s coverage of the Niners’ 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam’s subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team’s relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan made their way to the auditorium Thursday night, a text popped up on each of their phones.
The sender was Brandon Aiyuk, the subject of plenty of trade speculation amid the Niners’ latest attempts to consummate a big-money contract extension with the star wide receiver. Lynch and Shanahan had just spent the No. 31 pick in the NFL draft Thursday on Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall, a selection that didn’t do much to quiet the Aiyuk rumors.
But Aiyuk’s message wasn’t one of anger. It was far simpler.
“Fire pick, I can’t lie,” Aiyuk’s message said, according to Lynch.
Aiyuk and Pearsall played together at Arizona State in 2019 and remain friendly. In fact, Pearsall spoke to Aiyuk on the phone before he spoke with Bay Area media Thursday night.
That all took place against the backdrop of the seemingly endless speculation about Aiyuk’s future. Despite San Francisco’s insistence that it wants to re-sign Aiyuk, who is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, that conjecture kicked into overdrive Thursday with many wondering if the Niners would give in and trade him.
Lynch and Shanahan acknowledged that there had been discussions with other teams Thursday. But Lynch said no deals came close to happening, while Shanahan said a trade of Aiyuk or fellow wideout Deebo Samuel never seemed likely.
Asked late Thursday night if such a trade could still happen heading into Friday, Lynch and Shanahan again didn’t sound like a deal for either player was imminent, though they didn’t close the door completely.
It was a familiar tone for the GM and coach, who often joke that they would trade each other if the offer was right.
“It doesn’t seem that likely to be honest,” Shanahan said. “But I’m still on the table. If someone offered [owner] Jed [York] and John good stuff for me, I’m going to be out of here.”
Such a deal coming together now that the Thursday’s first round is over is largely why it’s unlikely. While the Niners are facing a salary cap crunch in 2025, they don’t need to make any moves to shed salary in 2024, meaning a salary-dump type of trade out of the question for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Of course, adding Pearsall will only serve to keep Lynch’s phone ringing into Friday’s second and third rounds as other teams try to pry one of San Francisco’s star receivers loose at a bargain price.
“I know that we’re continuing to have positive talks with [Aiyuk] and we are really efforting to get something done with him,” Lynch said. “We’re excited about continuing down that path and Brandon being a part of this team.
“Deebo is a part of this team and a big part of this team. We feel great about that group and we feel like we just made it better with another really good addition to it, who complements the group real well.”
Regardless of what happens with Aiyuk and Samuel, the Niners were always going to prioritize wide receiver in this year’s draft with an eye toward the future. Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are entering the final year of their rookie deals. Samuel has two years left on his deal at cap charges of $28.6 million in 2024 and $24.2 million in 2025, though he has no more guaranteed salary beginning in 2025.
The Niners therefore viewed Pearsall as a versatile player capable of any of the receiver positions immediately, with the idea that he will step into a starting role at some point. He could also help in the return game right away after the Niners lost returner Ray-Ray McCloud III to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.
For these 49ers, every decision they make for the roster is about striking the balance between making another push for the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy with their current group of stars and planning for the long haul as those high-priced players begin to move on.
“We listen to everything,” Shanahan said. “Everything’s about trying to improve our team as much as we can for 2024 without jeopardizing ’25 as much as possible. So that’s everything you look into and whenever that opportunity comes, whichever way you can improve your team, you do that.”
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