More big names change teams via trade at wide receiver than any other position in today’s NFL. Davante Adams. Tyreek Hill. A.J. Brown. All have been moved in big-time deals in the past few seasons. In 2024 alone, Keenan Allen, Jerry Jeudy and Diontae Johnson were all dealt.There will be more trades as we move closer to and into the 2024 NFL draft—and one of the names that has been mentioned is Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers. Aiyuk has topped 1,000 receiving yards each of the past two years, but he’s heading into the option year of his rookie contract, and extension talks with the Niners are “not close” to any kind of agreement, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.San Francisco may not have the resources to pay Aiyuk over $20 million a year. There are too many high-priced offensive players already on the roster, and quarterback Brock Purdy is due for a gargantuan raise when he’s eligible for a new contract next season.Trading for Aiyuk won’t come cheaply—San Francisco reportedly wanted a first-round pick and wideout Zay Jones from the Jacksonville Jaguars for Aiyuk. Potential suitors need both draft capital to spare and the cap space to give Aiyuk an extension.But what the 49ers want for Aiyuk and what they can reasonably get aren’t necessarily the same thing. As we have seen time after time in recent years, manufacturing cap space for a splash addition isn’t that difficult. And there are pretenders and contenders alike who would benefit in a big way from bringing in the 26-year-old.These six teams should be picking up the phone—and here’s what they should offer when they do.We might as well get the biggest obstacle to this trade out of the way. NFL teams aren’t generally inclined to trade players within their division. However, just because such trades are rare doesn’t mean they don’t happen—we recently saw tight end T.J. Hockenson go from the Detroit Lions to the Minnesota Vikings.While speaking to reporters recently, Arizona general manager Monti Ossenfort said that the Redbirds are willing to listen to offers for the fourth overall pick.”I think we’ll always have the conversation—we may not get to a point where a deal makes sense, whether it’s at 4 or anywhere we’re picking, but we’re always going to have the conversation, and if it makes sense, if it’s attractive to building our team, then it’s something that we’ll certainly consider no matter where we’re at in the draft,” he said.Now, whether the Cardinals deal the fourth pick or use it to draft Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (which is what the Cardinals should do), the reality in the desert is that Arizona needs more than one receiver. After the departure of Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore, the Cardinals have the weakest wideout room in the NFL—and it’s not particularly close.Trading Aiyuk inside the NFC West isn’t ideal. But adding a second first-rounder would put the 49ers in position to do some draft-day moving and shaking of their own—or add a quality wideout from a deep class with one pick like Adonai Mitchell of Texas and address another position with the others It has been a bumpy offseason in Western New York. Due largely to a lack of cap space, the Bills bid adieu to multiple veteran players, including wide receiver Gabe Davis. There has been more than a little speculation that fellow wideout Stefon Diggs is unhappy and wants out of New York.While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Bills general manager Brandon Beane did his best to shoot down the notion that Diggs is going anywhere.”No one called on Diggs,” Beane said. “I think people know that he’s ours, and we wouldn’t (do that)—even if there was an issue—and he was never asking to be traded. That never came up. I’ve got a great relationship with his agent, Adisa Bakari. So, it was truly never an issue. It was just more us getting in a room and talking through how last season finished and getting on the same page.”Diggs’ numbers for the season last year were solid (107 catches, 1,183 yards, eight scores), but he faded badly down the stretch. He was a non-factor in Buffalo’s playoff loss to Kansas City, catching three passes for 21 yards.It may be that the 30-year-old’s days of being able to single-handedly carry a passing game are behind him. And if that’s the case, a Bills team very much in “win now” mode needs to add another proven option opposite him.An extension for Aiyuk wouldn’t be easy with Buffalo possessing just $7.7 million in cap space. And trading Aiyuk to another Super Bowl contender might be a tough sell in Santa Clara.But obtaining a first-rounder for Aiyuk beats the late third-rounder San Francisco would receive for him leaving in free agency a year from now—a pick San Francisco wouldn’t see until 2026.And an Aiyuk/Diggs one-two punch would make Josh Allen a very happy quarterback.49ers Get: 2024 Round 2 Pick (No. 37), 2024 Round 4 Pick (No. 110), 2025 Conditional Day 2 PickAs the Los Angeles Chargers begin the Jim Harbaugh era, there’s one deficiency on offense that sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb—after trading Keenan Allen and releasing Mike Williams, the wide receivers in Los Angeles are rather a mess.Per Eric Smith of the team’s website, general manager Joe Hortiz has big expectations for young wide receiver Quentin Johnson in his second season after a forgettable rookie year.”That’s what a lot of rookie seasons look like,” Hortiz said. “But he flashed some really impressive traits and the good thing is when you’re looking at your roster, you’re looking at it all the time, you’re watching the film all the time. Every time you put on the tape, you see the talent and I expect him to make the jump. I know we have the right coaches to help him make the jump. I feel good about the guys that are here.”The Chargers are also widely expected to select a wide receiver with the fifth overall pick. But that would leave Joshua Palmer as Justin Herbert’s most proven pass-catcher. Bringing in Aiyuk would offer Herbert a “go-to” wideout—a “yes” in a room filled with “maybes.”The Bolts aren’t sending San Francisco that fifth pick, so they would have to sell the 49ers on a package headlined by an early second-rounder. The easiest way to do that could be with a conditional Day 2 pick in 2025 that could become another Round 2 selection if Aiyuk hits certain statistical benchmarks in 2024.There’s no question that the biggest need for the New England Patriots on offense is at quarterback. Barring a king’s ransom ala the Trey Lance fiasco of a few years back, the Pats are going to draft a signal-caller third overall.But the wide receiver position isn’t far behind, and new head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters that the Pats are open to the idea of acquiring a veteran wideout via trade.”One hundred percent. We’re still open on the trade market,” Mayo said. “But I would also say this is a pretty deep class as far as receivers are concerned. So, it’s all on the table right now and hopefully, as we continue to get closer to the draft, Eliot [Wolf] is fielding calls, the scouts are fielding calls. As we get closer to the draft, it starts to be a clearer picture. That’s really the goal.”It’s not hard to see why Mayo would make that statement. New England’s top receiver is probably DeMario Douglas, who is scaring exactly zero opposing defenses. That isn’t going to help New England’s new quarterback develop.With the third overall pick off the table, the Patriots would probably have to offer multiple Round 2 picks to the 49ers to get a deal done. But it’s likely that a 2025 second-rounder will be relatively high in the round, and a third pick just outside the top 100 could sweeten the pot a little more.The Pittsburgh Steelers have addressed two of the team’s biggest needs already in free agency. Justin Fields and Russell Wilson have transformed the quarterback position. Patrick Queen was a major upgrade at linebacker.But as Josh Edwards wrote at CBS Sports, trading Diontae Johnson opened up a sizable hole at wide receiver.”Prior to the Johnson trade,” he said, “the conversation would have centered around the cornerback and offensive tackle positions. Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and cornerback Donte Jackson give them options, but either starting will bring frustrations over the course of the season. With Johnson gone, Pittsburgh has little outside of George Pickens. Fortunately, the Steelers have been one of the best franchises over the past decade-plus when it comes to identifying Day 3 receivers capable of contributing.”Hitting on a Day 2 or Day 3 wideout who becomes a starter is great—but it also isn’t especially likely. And the Steelers haven’t approached this offseason like a team willing to wait. After making the playoffs in 2023, Pittsburgh wants to contend not just for the AFC North, but a Super Bowl berth as well.Aiyuk is a better and more proven option than anyone who will be on the board when pick No. 20 rolls around. He and Georg
