Brandon Aiyuk gives surprising reaction to 49ers first-round pick

In the midst of trade rumors, 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk had an interesting reaction to San Francisco’s pick Thursday.

Rumors have been swirling about the San Francisco 49ers potentially trading wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is looking for a new contract. Those rumors only heightened after the 49ers selected Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 31st pick in Thursday’s first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

You might think Aiyuk would feel snubbed that his team chose what some think would be his eventual replacement. Instead, he took a different approach. He actually seems in favor of the selection.

“Fire pick. Can’t lie,” Aiyuk texted 49ers general manager John Lynch following the pick. The two receivers are now reunited. Pesrsall started his college career at Arizona State and played three years there. Pearsall and Aiyuk were both there in 2019 before Aiyuk left for the NFL in 2020. Pearsall transferred to Florida in 2022.

There was a report before the draft Thursday that the 49ers were looking around the league for a potential trade partner for either Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel in an effort to move up in the first round of the draft. That trade never materialized.

Now the 49ers have Aiyuk, Samuel and Pearsall. That makes for a nice trio, but until the team makes a firm stand one way or the other, Aiyuk’s future will continue to be cloudy. At the very least, he’s taking the high road with things.