Can the 49ers Trade Brandon Aiyuk and Get Better?

They can deal him to another team and draft a replacement, someone younger, cheaper, faster and potentially more talented than Aiyuk. But not better than him. Not right away at least.

There are so many legitimate reasons for the 49ers to at least consider trading Brandon Aiyuk this offseason.

His trade value never will be higher. He's going to cost a ton of money. The 49ers won't be able to justify spending that much on him. They don't throw him the ball enough. They don't maximize his skill set. They're already paying top dollar for a wide receiver, and they'll be paying top dollar for a quarterback next year.

The correct financial decision for the 49ers' future is to trade Aiyuk now.

But the 49ers also are in what could be the final year of their current Super Bowl window. So many of their best players are older than 30. So any move the 49ers make has to make them better in the short term. They can't afford to take even the slightest step backward.

And that's why trading Aiyuk would be tricky for the 49ers. They can deal him to another team and draft a replacement, someone younger, cheaper, faster and potentially more talented than Aiyuk. But not better than him. Not right away at least.

Any rookie wide receiver the 49ers get will be an immediate downgrade from Aiyuk, who's elite. One of the five best wide receivers in the NFL. So if the 49ers want to give themselves the best chance to win the upcoming Super Bowl, they have to extend Aiyuk's contract as soon as possible and make sure he doesn't hold out for part of the season. Because he will, and if he does, the 49ers will be in trouble.