How 49ers will approach NFL trade deadline in wake of Aiyuk injury

How 49ers will approach NFL trade deadline in wake of Aiyuk injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers played most of Sunday’s game without their top three wide receivers.

Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings are expected back on the field for at least the second half of the 2024 NFL season, while Brandon Aiyuk sustained a severe knee injury that will sideline him until the 2025 campaign.

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 5, and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said the organization will consider all options.

“It makes you look into everything,” Shanahan said Monday during a conference call with Bay Area reporters.

Samuel currently is hospitalized with pneumonia. Jennings was inactive for Sunday’s game due to a hip injury. Aiyuk is out for the season after sustaining tears to his ACL and MCL on Sunday in a 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 49ers are hoping to get Samuel and Jennings back in action sooner than later.

The 49ers’ top three receivers for the second half of the season figure to be Samuel, Jennings and rookie Ricky Pearsall, a first-round draft pick who made his NFL debut on Sunday.

Pearsall was inactive for the first six games of the season as he recovered from a gunshot to his chest area from an armed robbery attempt.

The remainder of the 49ers’ depth chart at wide receiver consists of Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and rookie Jacob Cowing.

“Obviously, with more issues that came up yesterday, you still look into everything,” Shanahan said. “It has to do with what options are out there and stuff that we can pull off that helps us now and doesn’t hurt us for the future.”

There was significant movement at wide receiver around the NFL last week with two major trades.

The Buffalo Bills last week acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft from the Cleveland Browns for a third-round pick in 2025 and a seventh-round pick in 2026.

The 49ers were engaged in offseason trade talks with the Browns concerning Cooper at a time when Aiyuk’s contract status was unresolved, NBC Sports Bay Area reported.

The New York Jets landed help for quarterback Aaron Rodgers with the acquisition of six-time Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders for a conditional 2025 third-round pick.

The 49ers have been active at the past two trade deadlines with deals to acquire running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive end Chase Young.

But it might be a little more improbable for general manager John Lynch to land a top-flight receiver this year.

“A lot of times that’s just living in hope,” Shanahan said. “The answers aren’t always out there. You got to be ready to get people better in your building and deal with what you got in your building.

“If you find something that makes sense we’ll never hesitate, but it’s not always available like you hope it is.”

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