The San Francisco 49ers are still trying to keep wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk , but it seems like a trade had never been so likely as it is now. According to Matt Maiocco, from NBC Sports Bay Area , a deal is a real possibility at this point.
But with a roster ready to compete right now, it doesn't make sense for the 49ers to trade their best wide receiver only for 2025 draft picks. Any type of compensation would probably have to involve a player who would immediately contribute to at least lessen the damage caused by losing Aiyuk.
And that's how, as Maiocco mentioned, a swap of receivers between the 49ers and the Cleveland Browns could work. The Browns would send veteran receiver Amari Cooper and draft picks to the Niners for Aiyuk, who would then get his contract extension in Cleveland.
That's not easy to pull off, because the deal would have several layers. But if both teams can work around the trade package, the rest will probably get figured out.
Financial implications for the 49ers
Surely, Aiyuk is a better player than Cooper at this point, but the former Raider and Cowboy is still a productive player, and salary cap wise, that would be a huge positive for the 49ers.
The team would clear $14.124 million in cap space by sending Aiyuk to the Browns, without dead money, and they would take only $1.21 million of Cooper's deal.
That happens because the Browns restructured Cooper's contract earlier this year, paying $18.79 million as a signing bonus. That part of the contract stays with Cleveland, and the 49ers would take only the minimum base salary.
After all, the 49ers would swap Aiyuk for Cooper, picks, and $12.914 million in cap space. He is under contract for 2024 only, and if San Francisco wants to keep him beyond that, a new deal would be necessary at some point.
Financial implications for the Browns
Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that the Browns could afford Brandon Aiyuk if Cooper were traded to San Francisco, so it's a realistic scenario. However, it would bring a significant cap commitment.
As previously mentioned, the Browns would have to handle Cooper dead money, because they have already paid most of his salary as a signing bonus . It would be $7.534 million in 2024 ($1.21 million in cap savings) and $22.584 million in 2025.
The good news is that the Browns will have this exact dead money anyway, but with Cooper around, they could work an extension to keep the signing bonus prorated into future years — and, well, he would actually play for them.
If the initial plan was to trade Cooper, they wouldn't have touched his contract this way. But plans change in the NFL all the time.
By taking Aiyuk's contract, the Browns would assume his current deal of $14.124 million, so that's the cap space they must have to execute the trade — that's not an issue, since they have $29.673 million at the moment.
Right after the deal is executed, the Browns would probably reach a pre-finalized contract extension, something around the $30 million yearly average Aiyuk is trying to get in San Francisco.
By doing that, the Browns could actually reduce Aiyuk's cap number in 2024. For instance, Justin Jefferson signed a four-year, $140 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings ($35 million per season), and his year 1 cap hit is just $8.512 million. So the Browns could acquire Aiyuk and then open up something around $6 million in cap space.
The Browns could even try to make the 49ers pay a part of Aiyuk's current salary by improving the draft compensation, but San Francisco would probably be resistant to do so because they know Brock Purdy will command a lot of money next year and they need as much cap space as possible to build around it.
At the end of the day, it's a deal that could work for both sides. The 49ers would still have a really good receiver to play right away and would gain significant financial flexibility. Meanwhile, the Browns would get better at receiver, and with a player who's four years younger. It's a tough financial commitment, but it's also a viable one.
Related: What a big Brock Purdy contract extension would look like for the 49ers
Local Cleveland, OH
Most Popular
Comments / 0