Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The Brandon Aiyuk saga took an unexpected turn this week, with the San Francisco 49ers now willing to field calls from teams interested in trading for the star receiver. Reports indicate that the 49ers have worked out trade frameworks with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots for the disgruntled wideout.
Depending on what the 49ers receive in return—there is word that the team seeks a veteran wideout in addition to draft compensation—the loss of Aiyuk could impact the team's Super Bowl odds. ESPN's Joe Fortenbaugh expressed his belief that the 49ers' Super Bowl window isn't just closing but has already closed.
Fortenbaugh believes Aiyuk has some leverage in this process. While the 49ers could control the player's rights for the next three years through a combination of the fifth-year option and franchise tag, the team is desperate to win a Super Bowl, and Aiyuk's presence increases their chances.
"They know that the window's closing," Fortenbaugh said on ESPN's First Take. "I think the window is actually closed, and I think this trade would end up putting the stake in the coffin."
Fortenbaugh acknowledges that even without Aiyuk, the 49ers' roster is still talented. However, the team couldn't overcome the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl during a relatively healthy 2023 campaign with Aiyuk. Would they be able to beat the odds and return?
"Curse of the Super Bowl loser. What is that?" Fortenbaugh continued. "There's a pretty good explanation, several. One of which is to get to the Super Bowl, you have to be one of the healthiest teams in the NFL. Health is something that's very difficult to replicate year after year. ... If you're a very healthy team like San Francisco was last year, like Philadelphia was two years ago, you're going to experience more injuries next year. It's just the law of averages.
"As those injuries kick in for the Niners this year, the production's going to fall off. They face eight teams this year that are going to have a scheduling advantage against them, and if you take Brandon Aiyuk off the table, Deebo Samuel, who's battled injuries in the past. George Kittle, who's battled injuries in the past. Christian McCaffrey, who's battled injuries in the past. That offense is coming back down. That Super Bowl window is closed."
Courtney Cronin added that if Aiyuk is not on the 49ers' roster in 2024, the Los Angeles Rams should be considered the better team in the NFC.
Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
ESPN simulation predicts this team will derail 49ers' Super Bowl hopes
By David Bonilla
Sep 2
ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) typically simulates the entire NFL season 20,000 times to generate its projections. However, analyst Seth Walder selects just one of these simulations each year to explore the potential outcomes, offering an intriguing—though not entirely...
It may have seemed like an eternity for the San Francisco 49ers and star WR Brandon Aiyuk to agree on a new contract, but it didn't take as long as it did a year ago with edge rusher Nick Bosa. It may have felt like it took longer because Bosa, much like LT Trent Williams this...
ESPN: 49ers offense is 'average' without Trent Williams
By David Bonilla
Aug 30
With the Brandon Aiyuk drama finally behind us, the media can now shift its focus to the next major San Francisco 49ers storyline—Trent Williams' holdout. ESPN's Ben Solak recently examined X-factors for each NFL team, and for the Niners, the standoff with their All-Pro...
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler: "I'm told 49ers' Trent Williams is not happy, and the threat of him missing games is real"
By Marc Adams
Aug 31
Out of the fire and into the frying pan. That phrase is from a 15th-century fable that describes leaving one bad situation for a worse one. The phrase fittingly describes the current state of the San Francisco 49ers contract drama. Just as fans of the team were able to exhale...
