The San Francisco 49ers have already made one major change to their receiving corps this offseason and now a second move has been urged, but one that would reel in a much greater reward.
The San Francisco 49ers have already made one major change to their receiving corps this offseason and now a second move has been urged, but one that would reel in a much greater reward. originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The San Francisco 49ers reevaluated their needs at wide receiver earlier this offseason and came out with some major takeaways. Namely, they moved to get younger and cheaper at the position, trading former No. 1 receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders.
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Certainly a bold move on their part, general manager John Lynch has remained steadfast in his commitment to adapt this group while easing the burden on their cap.
That line of decision making raised questions about the team's intentions with their new No. 1 Brandon Aiyuk. San Francisco has not been shy about their new strategy, so there has been some sentiment to trading Aiyuk.
However, Niners insider Grant Cohn has taken that a step further, urging the team to to work with the Commanders again. This time they would send Aiyuk and return Terry McLaurin in the deal.
"McLaurin is older than Aiyuk, but he's also faster than Aiyuk and might have a better relationship with the quarterback. I'm guessing McLaurin would love to play for the 49ers if they extend him. And I'm guessing Aiyuk would love to play with Daniels and Deebo Samuel in Washington."
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Much of that projection involves Aiyuk's relationship with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels who happens to be a very close friend. But a straight-up swap for the two players is not happening.
While McLaurin's contract disputes with the team has led to a holdout from mandatory minicamp, trading him away would seem an egregious error for a team on the rise. He consistently posts 1,000 yards and comes off arguably his best campaign yet.
Daniels and Aiyuk may have a strong relationship, but sacrificing an arguable top 10 receiver for a player coming off a serious ACL injury makes for an extremely high risk.
For the Niners, McLaurin would be great to have in a vacuum. But any trade that happens will still need his extension situation sorted out afterward. The Niners have committed big money to several players this offseason and this would be another.
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McLaurin will likely demand a salary well over $30 million per year and higher than the number Aiyuk sits at now. Pulling off such a trade essentially puts them in the same place financially with a longer commitment to an older receiver.
More likely than not, Washington will eventually meet their star at the negotiating table and get a new deal done.
Related: 49ers Trent Williams Addresses Potential Retirement
Related: 49ers' Brock Purdy Has Huge MVP Opportunity in 2025
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
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