In the weeks leading up to the 2024 NFL draft, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel were the subject of trade rumors.
While many teams expressed interest in trading for both star players, in the end the trade talks amounted to nothing. 49ers general manager John Lynch admitted both were listed in trade conversations, but is “thrilled” with retaining his talented wide receiver.
“During the course of drafts and offseasons, do conversations happen? Absolutely they do,” Lynch said, via Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group.
“We’re past that now. We’re thrilled to add to that group [of] Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell, Danny Gray, and now you add Ricky Pearsall, Jake Cowing. We made an already strong group even stronger.”
Aiyuk is entering the final year of his contract while playing on his fifth-year option. Meanwhile, the 49ers have Deebo under contract for the next two season, but have a potential out after 2024.
“I’m doing everything in my power to keep our roster together. That’s my goal. And I don’t question that,” Lynch said. “I’ve got so much belief. When you’ve got Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo, those are guys we drafted. They’re guys we take a lot of pride in who they’ve become. We couldn’t be more proud of those guys.”
“Part of my job is to think about the now and to think into the future, as well. … We don’t do that without thinking, ‘Can these guys contribute right away?’ We have a vision for both those guys [Pearsall and Cowing], how they can contribute. They represent a lot of the qualities we like. They were the best players there for us at the time. We’re thrilled to add those guys to an already strong room. We’re ready to roll forward.”
Did San Francisco make the right decision keeping both players?