San Francisco 49ers Lose Sensational Ace In a Shocking Experience within the Team
The San Francisco 49ers have arguably the most talented roster in the NFL.
On both sides of the ball, they have elite playmakers and that’s why many believe they are the favorite to win the Super Bowl this season.
In an article published last week by USA Today, the 2023 San Francisco 49ers actually have a chance to break the record for the most Pro Bowlers in a single season. As it stands, that number is 12.
Technically speaking, the 49ers could still have 12 people named to the Pro Bowl; they just wouldn’t attend. However, the 49ers would have a much better chance of having 12 players reach the Pro Bowl if they didn’t reach the Super Bowl, because whoever represents the NFC would not be sending their players to the Pro Bowl.
As you can see, the Niners have 15 players in the top-ten vote getters at their positions. Here are their ranks in the NFC.
C Jake Brendel (2nd in NFC)
CB Charvarius Ward (2nd in NFC)
CB Deommodore Lenoir (4th in NFC)
DE Chase Young (2nd in NFC)
DT Arik Armstead (3rd in NFC)
FS Tashaun Gipson (3rd in NFC)
OG Aaron Banks (2nd in NFC)
OG Spencer Burford (4th in NFC)ILB
Dre Greenlaw (3rd in NFC)
K Jake Moody (4th in NFC)
OLB Oren Burks (6th in NFC)
RS Ray-Ray McCloud (3rd in NFC)
OT Colton McKivitz (6th in NFC)
WR Brandon Aiyuk (5th in NFC)
WR Deebo Samuel (6th in NFC)
As Pro Football Talk noted, The 49ers have six players who rank among the NFL’s top-three paid at their positions.
They have nine players whose annual pay falls from $34 million to $13.5 million.
It is a team with a lot of highly paid star power, for sure.
And after a round of recent contract adjustments to move some money around, the 49ers also have the most salary-cap space of any team in the NFL.
The 49ers are currently $41.2 million under the league’s $224.8 million salary cap, according to NFL Players Association figures. The Cleveland Browns are next with $34 million in cap space, followed by the Arizona Cardinals with a $14 million cap cushion.
General manager John Lynch told NBC Sports Bay Area the idea with the recent restructured contracts of Arik Armstead, Trent Williams and George Kittle is to set the San Francisco 49ers up for the future.
Their biggest luxury? Quarterback Brock Purdy — who is in serious contention for the 2023 NFL Offensive MVP — is the third highest-paid quarterback on the 49ers — behind Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen — and ranks 81st in the league at $934,253 a year.
If the 49ers are going to keep the nucleus of their team together, they must find a way to account for the future cap figures of Williams, Armstead, Kittle, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Deebo Samuel, Javon Hargrave, Christian McCaffrey, Charvarius Ward and others.
San Francisco 49ers Trade Proposal Sends Brandon Aiyuk To Houston Texans
While the 49ers ultimate plan is to keep all of their current stars in place, it’s not going to be viable considering how many players need to be paid.
In early September, there was speculation John Lynch and the 49ers brass would aim to extend Aiyuk, but as Pro Football Talk noted, it would be beneficial to reach a long-term deal sooner rather than later and the two sides don’t even seem to be negotiating as of now.
He is coming off his best season, consisting of 78 receptions for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns. With a strong training camp, Aiyuk showed signs he could be ready to emerge as one of the game’s top receivers.
He is scheduled to make a fully guaranteed $14.1 million next season after the 49ers picked up his fifth-year option.
Brandon Aiyuk has already surpassed last year’s numbers in terms of yards (1,203) which is 8th in the NFL amongst all wide receivers. He has six touchdowns and is averaging 18.5 yards per catch (also 8th in the NFL).
But recently with Aiyuk producing in a major way back-to-back seasons, there has been chatter he will be a hot commodity for trade partners next year.
In a recent article from Bleacher report speculating on the 6 most shocking NFL trades this offseason and with the Houston Texans emerging with new head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie QB CJ Stroud, they believe Aiyuk could be a No. 1 wideout that will help take them over the top..
Here’s the trade proposal from the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers proposed by Bleacher Report: 49ers Receive: 2024 first-round pick (via Browns), 2024 fifth-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick Texans Receive: WR Brandon Aiyuk, 2024 seventh-round pick
Graziano discussed a group of three receivers that included Stefon Diggs, Tee Higgins and Brandon Aiyuk. Of the three, Aiyuk is probably the one with the most mutual interest to stay with his club.
Aiyuk is an interesting name, because he has the No. 1 role and appears to have a great relationship with the team and the quarterback.
The problem is that the 49ers are already paying Deebo Samuel like a top option. He still has a lot of guaranteed money left on his three-year, $71 million extension, and the Niners are set to have five players who cost more than $20 million next season.
Aiyuk still has a season left on his contract, which means the team could let the situation ride, but they would be hurting the receiver’s trade value and diminishing their return.
The trade compensation here is based on the 2020 trade that sent Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills. When Diggs was traded, he was 26 years old and coming off his biggest year to date.
Aiyuk will be in the same exact position. From the Texans’ standpoint, it’s more like the Eagles trade to get A.J. Brown. They would be getting an elite receiver to pair with Tank Dell for their young quarterback in C.J. Stroud.Nico Collins is a free agent and Aiyuk would be an upgrade. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has 49ers roots, so it wouldn’t be a leap for him to figure out how to best use the receiver.
With the draft capital offered by the Texans in this deal, it’s highly possible Lynch, Shanahan and company would bite to continue to build their roster.
