Aiyuk sent text to 49ers GM, HC after first-round pick

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Unio / USA TODAY NETWORK

Brandon Aiyuk sent four-word text to 49ers GM, HC following first-round draft pick

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 4/29/24

Few NFL stars have been involved in as many trade rumors in recent weeks as San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has.

The chatter increased Thursday night when the Niners selected wideout Ricky Pearsall out of Florida with the 31st overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Following San Francisco's decision, Aiyuk sent a surprising four-word text to both general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan.

#49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk texted GM John Lynch and HC Kyle Shanahan after the Ricky Pearsall pick:

"Fire pick, can't lie."
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) April 26, 2024

While there have been reports that the Pearsall selection could lead to the trade of Aiyuk or 2021 Pro Bowl wide receiver Deebo Samuel, both Lynch and Shanahan largely dismissed the rumors.

#49ers HC Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch both made it sound highly unlikely that they'll be trading either of their star receivers -- Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel -- during this draft. They did not completely close the door but Shanahan said it was not likely.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) April 26, 2024

Perhaps it's no coincidence that Aiyuk and Pearsall are former college teammates, spending one season together at Arizona State in 2019.

According to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, the pair of pass-catchers "remain friendly" and spoke on the phone on Thursday night.

Lynch and Shanahan detailed multiple times where things stood with Aiyuk and Samuel. The former is entering the final year of his rookie contract and seeking an extension, while Samuel signed an extension with San Francisco in 2022 and carries a cap hit of $28M in 2024.

#49ers GM John Lynch on the state of the WR room: "I know that we're continuing to have positive talks with BA and we are really efforting to get something done with him. We're excited about continuing down that path and Brandon being a part of this team. Deebo is a part of this…
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) April 26, 2024

#49ers HC Kyle Shanahan on potential Aiyuk trade still happening:

"It doesn't seem that likely to be honest, but I'm still on the table. If someone offered Jed and John good stuff for me, I'm going to be out of here."

Again, offer would have to be big. Niners don't NEED to…
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) April 26, 2024

Per Wagoner, it's "hard to see" how a trade involving Aiyuk or Samuel would "make sense," and a potential offer would have to be "very creative."

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