Cardinals Named Landing Spot for Brandon Aiyuk

ARIZONA -- The status around San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk continues to grow uncertain over the days of summer, and perhaps the Arizona Cardinals could take advantage.

Aiyuk is entering the final year of his contract and has been fairly adamant on his desire to be one of the highest paid players at his position. The Arizona State alum and first-round pick has been a crucial piece to San Francisco's success in recent memory, and after the 49ers drafted another former Sun Devil in Ricky Pearsall, rumors swirled that Aiyuk's days with the organization were numbered.

That was all but confirmed by a TikTok video where Aiyuk told Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (the two played together at ASU):

"They said they don't want me back… I swear."

Now, rumors are again rampant on where Aiyuk may end up.

CBS Sports believes the Cardinals are a potential team to watch in the race for Aiyuk:

"Arizona just spent a No. 4 overall draft pick on Marvin Harrison Jr., but Kyler Murray could still use more offensive weaponry as he enters Year 6, eager to prove he can stay healthy and live up to a top-10 quarterback contract. Aiyuk, meanwhile, finished his college career at Arizona State and could cash in thanks to the Cardinals owning more than $35 million in 2024 salary cap space."
CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin

The Cardinals also added Zay Jones this offseason to a receiving corps that has Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch - along with Harrison, as Benjamin highlighted.

For Arizona, it would be tough to turn down the proposition of adding Aiyuk to the mix, even with his pending extension that would prove to be costly. With so many holes still on the roster, the Cardinals may be better utilizing that money elsewhere, however.

Would the 49ers even want to send Aiyuk in the division? Those trades have happened before, though they are rare, and if the Cardinals were truly interested in adding him to the roster, they might have to pay more than others since San Francisco will see Aiyuk twice per season.

If that includes draft capital - something general manager Monti Ossenfort covets more than anything - it might be a tough sell.

It's nice to think about. Aiyuk would add even more dynamics to this offense, and surely coordinator Drew Petzing and quarterback Kyler Murray would be on board.

Will it actually happen? Never say never, though it's tough to see a deal getting done between the two sides.