San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been the main character for us this offseason. He’s been in the news after being unhappy with his contract situation. It doesn’t help that some of his peers are getting paid a large sum. We saw the peak of Aiyuk’s frustration earlier this week when he requested a trade.
In ESPN’s wide receiver rankings, Aiyuk made the top 10 for the first time in his career, and deservedly so. Aiyuk saw more targets and had more receptions in 2022, but it felt like his role was more prominent in 2023. Despite having three fewer receptions last season, he had 14 more first downs. Aiyuk also saw his yards per game increase by 24 yards. It was evident that Kyle Shanahan wanted to get Aiyuk involved more down the field, and it worked out to perfection.
Here’s ESPN’s blurb about Aiyuk. One executive had him as high as No. 3:
10. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 26 | Last year’s ranking: Unranked
Aiyuk won a tiebreaker with Rams receiver Cooper Kupp thanks to his breakout 1,342-yard season in 2023.
Aiyuk has come a long way from starting his career in Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse due to inconsistencies as a rookie. He’s worked his way into premier status.
“More downfield production, huge jump in yards per catch, quietly has almost 300 [career] catches,” said an NFL executive who voted Aiyuk top-three. “Excels as a blocker. Lower body ability is as good as anyone.”
Aiyuk, who has 269 career catches through four seasons, upped his yards per catch from 14.8 to 17.9 in 2023, trailing only George Pickens (18.1). More than 37% of his receptions went for 20-plus yards, tops in the NFL (minimum 100 targets).
In a loaded 49ers offense, Aiyuk has emerged as the top target with 218 targets, far ahead of Deebo Samuel (181) and George Kittle (176).
“Premier route runner with open-field juice,” an NFL personnel evaluator said.
The 49ers offense runs through Aiyuk. It peaked last year because Aiyuk did. Any trade would be a detriment to the offense unless the team got back somebody like Davante Adams—or a wideout in the same stratosphere as BA.
Aiyuk suffers from something that’s out of his control when it comes to contract negotiations. Unlike other receivers who are breaking the bank this offseason, Aiyuk’s in an offense with multiple star players. If he were the only option, his stats would mirror anybody in the NFL. The lack of volume hurts him in that regard.
But there’s no argument to be made about his impact. If Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tyreek Hill are Tier I receivers, Aiyuk is in the next Tier.
