There were trade winds swirling around the San Francisco 49ers’ wide receivers leading up to Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Those winds kicked up a few knots on Day 2 with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk’s names continuing to be bandied about. When the third round concluded Friday evening, both remained on the San Francisco roster and general manager John Lynch conveyed that neither were close to departing.
Aiyuk is looking for an extension, and reports and rumors about him potentially being traded have been in abundance for weeks. Samuel’s name was more recently added to the mix.
When the 49ers picked Florida’s Pearsall at the tail end of Friday’s first round it seemed only to heighten the intrigue around Samuel or Aiyuk moving, with the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots among the suitors named.
While Lynch seemed to quell trade talk at Friday night’s end, Thursday night’s post-draft news conference had a slightly different tone, leading to plenty of Friday morning buzz.
Lynch and Shanahan each said they’d taken calls and underscored that they always listen and would never shut the door.
"Never close the door on a trade,” Lynch said Thursday. "I mean, we'll always listen and we have. But we like our group as it stands."
"I thought it was unlikely going into it, but that doesn't mean that it can't happen,” Shanahan added at the time. “So, I mean, you listen to everything.”
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday morning that there was certainly still a possibility of a 49ers trade. San Francisco moved around with its draft picks on Friday, but didn’t move either of its standout wide receivers.
According to Lynch, they didn’t entertain any of the offers they received, but at the least it made for some entertainment during the second and third rounds.
Heading into Day 3 of the draft, Brock Purdy’s top two targets are still on the roster, and it appears the trade rumblings have settled.