It is officially the dead period of the offseason, folks.
The New Orleans Saints completed minicamp last week and will head to UC Irvine for training camp in late July. There have been numerous intriguing developments throughout the early offseason, including Alvin Kamara’s holdout for a new deal, Juwan Johnson’s injury, Marshon Lattimore trade rumours, and much more.
Could Brandon Aiyuk add to this?
The San Francisco 49ers receiver shared a TikTok of a conversation with Washington Commanders rookie quarterback and former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels. He informed Daniels that “they said they don’t want me back… I swear.
There’s no proof that this was about the 49ers because he never mentioned his team. But if Aiyuk posts it himself, he’s certainly sending a message. During the NFL draft, there were trade rumours around Aiyuk, and the team’s decision to choose another of Aiyuk’s former Arizona State colleagues, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, in the first round only fueled that speculation.
“(The 49ers) do want (Aiyuk), they just want him at their price,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated Monday. “I’m not aware of any negotiations that are entirely dead. They just haven’t reached an agreement yet, and it’s evident that Brandon Aiyuk wants the same amount of money as Amon-Ra St. Brown did… The 49ers aren’t there yet. They like him a lot, but they haven’t been able to reach an agreement. So maybe that’s what Brandon Aiyuk was trying to convey.”
St. Brown inked a four-year, $120 million contract extension with the Detroit Lions this offseason, with $77 million guaranteed.
Money aside, Aiyuk’s addition to the Saints makes a lot of sense. He’d play alongside Chris Olave, replacing Michael Thomas in Klint Kubiak’s new offence. And, where was Kubiak in 2023? As San Francisco’s passing game coordinator. Aiyuk enjoyed a breakout year with Kubiak, catching 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. Aiyuk is familiar with Kubiak’s system and might have an early impact, especially since he won’t need as much time understanding the playbook.
Rashid Shaheed is New Orleans’ current second wide receiver. The third-year receiver has shown promise, particularly with his big-play speed, but he is not a reliable backup option. Adding Aiyuk to this club would significantly increase the offense’s upside in 2024 and beyond.
But will the cost exceed the potential? For starters, New Orleans has $11-12 million in cap space in 2024, but will have to overcome many barriers to return to the threshold in 2025. In addition to paying Aiyuk $30 million per year, they will eventually have to pay Olave somewhere in that range when he is up for a new contract. That’s not to mention the draft capital that the team would have to give up in exchange for Ayuk.
During the NFL Draft, Rapoport stated on the Rich Eisen Show that San Francisco would have moved Aiyuk “maybe for a (first-rounder)”. However, there were rumours that fellow San Francisco wide receiver Deebo Samuel was also a trade candidate.
“I wouldn’t say this is reporting; it’s more like my overall impression of the situation,” Rapoport stated on the podcast. “It feels like there’s a small push to keep Aiyuk now, and could Deebo be had? Maybe.”
A potential first-round selection and $30 million per year for Aiyuk is one thing for a team that does not play around with the salary cap on a regular basis. Or a squad that is one piece away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
New Orleans is currently none of those, and there’s a decent probability Aiyuk’s TikTok post was only a negotiating technique. While this trade and fit sounds like a lot of fun in theory, it seems unlikely that both sides would ever make it happen.
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