San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been a major topic of discussion in recent weeks due to the fact that he is entering the final year of his deal.

Many have speculated that the 49ers could trade Aiyuk this offseason, and there was even a recent rumor that Aiyuk asked to be dealt. However, his agent refuted the report.

So, it shouldn’t be surprising that other teams are inquiring about a potential trade for a star receiver in San Francisco. But here’s the thing: it’s not Aiyuk.

According to Mike Silver of The San Francisco Chronicle, “numerous teams” have expressed trade interest in Deebo Samuel ahead of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

There was some chatter earlier in the offseason that the Niners could possibly move Samuel, but it seemed to be fan conjecture more than anything else.

But evidently, clubs are asking about the veteran wide out.

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the 49ers are shopping Samuel. They could merely be answering the phones and telling other teams “no, he isn’t available.” Or, maybe San Francisco is trying to move Samuel in order to clear some money to sign Aiyuk long term?

Trading Samuel would result in a $21.7 million dead cap hit, but it would clear a tick under $7 million in cap space for 2024. Most importantly, though, it would allow the Niners to get out from under the last two years of Samuel’s deal, which expires at the end of 2025.

This could potentially make Aiyuk more affordable long term.

It would be an interesting twist if the 49ers end up moving Samuel—a fan favorite—and keeping Aiyuk. It would probably even be the smarter move, assuming San Francisco can’t keep both.

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