Report: 49ers among teams looking to trade for WR in NFL Draft; Aiyuk, Samuel discussed

National Football League

Published Apr. 25, 2024 8:03 p.m. ET

The San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars are among teams picking in the mid-to-late first round of the 2024 NFL Draft who are looking to move up to an earlier pick in order to draft a wide receiver, per The Athletic. The 49ers have reportedly floated star veteran wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in trade talks.

Aiyuk, the 49ers’ second-round pick in 2020 who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, has surfaced in trade rumors this offseason as the 49ers have prioritized extensions for their other star veterans — including Samuel — in recent years.

Samuel actually requested a trade from the 49ers before the 2022 season after the 2019 second-round pick developed into a superstar as a hybrid player who could either line up at running back and wide receiver. However, he eventually signed three-year, $73.5 million contract extension with San Francisco and is under contract through 2025, when he is set to be owed over $16 million guaranteed and count over $24 million against the salary cap.

The Rams have two superstar receivers in Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp and breakout 2023 rookie Puka Nacua, but their depth of pass-catching targets for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford is thin after that duo. Starting tight end Tyler Higbee is working his way back from a torn ACL in L.A.’s playoff loss to the Detroit Lions in January.

The Jaguars’ wide receiver room heading into draft night is even more shallow after Jacksonville failed to re-sign Calvin Ridley in free agency, watching him instead depart to the Tennessee Titans on a massive four-year deal worth up to $92 million. The Jaguars did sign former Buffalo Bills wideout Gabe Davis but are expected to seek another target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the draft.

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