Brandon Aiyuk fuels trade rumors amid John Lynch attempt to put out the fire

Like clockwork, we have ourselves yet another wide receiver wanting either more money or to be traded out of town. Brandon Aiyuk has spent his entire NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers since being drafted in the first round by them out of Arizona State in 2020. Not that long ago, fellow 49ers playmaker Deebo Samuel openly voiced his frustrations over how John Lynch handles his business.

With Aiyuk playing out his fifth-year option, you have to wonder if he is either about to play his last season with the reigning NFC champions, or if he already has... During the 49ers' latest huge embarrassing failure in the Super Bowl, head coach Kyle Shanahan had another fourth-quarter meltdown. It has been a struggle to get Aiyuk his touches in the multi-faceted offense that cools off.

Not to say that Aiyuk has any real leverage in this situation, as he is in his contract year. However, it is abundantly clear that Aiyuk is not going to be a good soldier this offseason for the 49ers. This is a business after all, but San Francisco certainly has an interesting way of doing things. They love to draft players high who do not work out for them for some reason, but will not pay the guys who do.

I am not the greatest emoji translator in the world, but I read Aiyuk's brutal message loud and clear.

If the money doesn't talk to him, he is going to walk away from the B.S. and play for somebody else.

Brandon Aiyuk sends a resounding message to the 49ers front office

For as much as I would like to see both parties work it out, San Francisco is going to come out the winner in this player/franchise dispute, mostly because pretty much all of the world hasn't turned on Shanahan yet. Outside of people who root for the Atlanta Falcons, some legions of the 49er Faithful, and maybe a few people who lost some money betting against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, that is it.

While I am skeptical that the 49ers are going to trade Aiyuk this offseason, I also highly doubt that he is going to return to the team on a new deal. If he is somehow franchise tagged next offseason, he could be going elsewhere. This has become quite the trend across the league. We have seen previously tagged players like Brian Burns and L'Jarius Sneed be dealt shortly before the big pay day.

Overall, one team always seems to suffer from the proverbial Super Bowl hangover. Last year saw the Chiefs wallow in their muck before eventually getting it right. Philadelphia was still flying high, until it hit the fan in the final third of the regular season. While I still have the 49ers as the favorite to win the NFC West, I like two teams out of the NFC North more than them, and I think you know who they are.

Aiyuk may be able to catch more passes elsewhere, but it is hard to top playing for the elite 49ers.