49ers were painfully close to trading Deebo Samuel during the NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the most star-studded teams in the league for the past few seasons. San Francisco had seven first-team All-Pro players in 2023, marking the team’s third consecutive season with multiple All-Pro selections on their roster. But with the star-studded lineup, the Niners have struggled to find the salary cap space to retain their homegrown talent, such as wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Aiyuk has developed into the team's best receiver since being drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. San Francisco exercised the fifth-year option on Aiyuk's rookie contract, but the budding star has made it clear that he's looking for a contract extension. Spotrac's contract estimations place Aiyuk's market value among the highest-paid wide receivers in the league. That leaves the Niners in a difficult place, especially when they already have a significant wide receiver contract on their payroll.

San Francisco signed wide receiver Deebo Samuel to a three-year, $71.5 million contract in 2022. Samuel hasn't been able to replicate the production of his career-best season in 2021, as injuries have forced the dynamic wide receiver to miss six games in the last two seasons.

49ers discussed trades for both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel

Multiple teams had an interest in trading for Aiyuk during the 2024 NFL Draft, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The 49ers wanted a first-round pick for the wideout. Fowler also reported that the 49ers discussed potential trades for Samuel on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, but one source claimed that San Francisco wouldn't trade him.

If the Niners ultimately keep only one of their two wide receivers, which one would they trade? Samuel has turned into one of the leaders of the Niners. Alongside left tackle Trent Brown and a boombox, Samuel leads the team out of the locker room before every game. Still, his $28.6 million salary cap hit is third-highest among all wide receivers in 2024, and he has missed multiple games due to injury in the past two years.

On the other hand, Aiyuk is younger and has become a vital part of the offense, but he would ultimately cost more than Samuel to retain. Moving on from Aiyuk would also be easier since the Niners wouldn't take on a significant dead cap charge and he would likely fetch a larger return than Samuel at this point in their respective careers.

As I suggested in March, the asking price for Aiyuk could be based on the trade that sent wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for the No. 18 and No. 101 overall picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. Like Aiyuk, Brown was previously stuck in a run-heavy offense that didn't make use of his skill set. Fowler reported that one team compared Aiyuk's price to the A.J. Brown trade.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch said last week that trade conversations "absolutely" happened throughout the offseason, but the Niners are "past that now." 

Regardless, the 49ers' handling of their veteran wide receivers will be closely monitored, especially after the Niners selected wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If Pearsall can develop into a starting wide receiver and Aiyuk continues to impress, the team could opt to move on from Samuel, who has a potential out in his contract next offseason.