Brandon Aiyuk of San Francisco 49ers running with football.Brandon Aiyuk (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The agent of San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has responded to a report that his client has requested a trade.

On Sunday morning, NFL insider John Frascella reported that “Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade from” San Francisco. Frascella added that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are among the teams interested in the 26-year-old.

But Ryan Williams, the agent of Aiyuk, quickly poured cold water over this rumor by simply telling Frascella that he needs “better sources”:

Before free agency opened last month, 49ers general manager John Lynch emphasized that the team wants to keep Aiyuk around long-term. The 2020 first-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Rochelle Searight, Aiyuk’s girlfriend, even indicated in a social media video after Super Bowl 58 that this was the star wide receiver’s final year on the West Coast:

The Arizona State product is coming off a career year in which he tallied 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. In three postseason games, Aiyuk added nine receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown.

For his career, Aiyuk has 269 receptions for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns. He has exceeded 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons.

Trading Brandon Aiyuk Would Be A Massive Risk For 49ers

Before the arrivals of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers had gone several years without a true game-changing wide receiver. Now they have two of then, and the Samuel-Aiyuk connection is a key reason why San Fran has played in three straight NFC Championship Games.

The 49ers could trade Aiyuk for the idea of saving money instead of handing him a lucrative extension, but the odds of finding a player of equal value are slim. The speedy Aiyuk perfectly fits Kyle Shanahan’s offense and should only get better after a career year in 2023.

So when you add it all up, it’s clear that an Aiyuk extension is the best for all parties. But if San Fran ends up trading him, they better have another big move for a wide receiver lined up.