The San Francisco 49ers will not trade either of their two star veteran wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, before next season, general manager John Lynch said Thursday in an interview with “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I’m doing everything in my power to keep this roster together,” Lynch said. “During the course of drafts and offseasons, do conversations happen? Absolutely they do. We’re past that now.”
Lynch did not deny the rumors that the 49ers discussed trades centered around Aiyuk, the 2020 first-round pick heading into the final year of his rookie contract, and Samuel, the 2019 second-round pick who blossomed into one of the NFL’s most versatile superstars and is entering the second of a three-year, $71.5 million contract extension he signed in 2022.
Rumors involving Aiyuk throughout the offseason and intensified after the 49ers drafted Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, a former teammate of Aiyuk’s at Arizona State, with their first-round pick in last week’s 2024 NFL Draft. Around the same time, Samuel’s name started popping up in trade rumors as well, with some naming him as more likely to be dealt than Aiyuk.
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No deal for either player materialized, however, and according to Lynch, the 49ers expect to open the season with both Aiyuk and Samuel on their roster.
“We’re thrilled to add to that group — Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell, Danny Gray, and now you add Ricky Pearsall [and 2024 fourth-round pick] Jacob Cowing — We made an already strong group even stronger,” Lynch said. “We don’t do that without thinking, ‘Can these guys contribute right away?’ And we have a vision for both [Pearsall and Cowing], how they can contribute and be a part, and they represent a lot of the qualities that we like in our players. … We’re fired up about our team.”
Both Aiyuk and Samuel surpassed 1,000 total yards from scrimmage in 2023 despite each briefly missing time due to injuries. Aiyuk led the 49ers in receiving with 1,342 yards, seventh-most in the entire NFL, while Samuel racked up 1,117 total yards — 892 receiving and 225 rushing. They also contributed heavily to the 49ers reaching the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons, only to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs again — this time in heartbreaking overtime fashion.
“We just have to get a little bit better,” Lynch said Thursday.
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