It appears that if the 49ers are going to trade one of Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk, they are going to have to be overwhelmed by the offer.
San Francisco G.M. John Lynch said over the weekend that the team did not entertain trade offers for either receiver on Day 2 of the draft. He went further during a Thursday appearance on the Pat McAfee show, essentially saying that the 49ers were no longer interested in moving either player.
“During the course of drafts and offseasons, do conversations happen? Absolutely they do,” Lynch said, via Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. “We’re past that now.
“We’re thrilled to add to that group [of] Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell, Danny Gray, and now you add Ricky Pearsall, Jake Cowing. We made an already strong group even stronger.”
The 49ers selected Pearsall at No. 31 overall on Thursday night and Cowing at No. 135 in the fourth round on Saturday, adding depth at receiver.
Aiyuk is seeking a new contract, as he’s entering the final year of his rookie deal on the fifth-year option. The 49ers signed Samuel to a contract extension before the 2022 season.
“I’m doing everything in my power to keep our roster together. That’s my goal. And I don’t question that,” Lynch said. “I’ve got so much belief. When you’ve got Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo, those are guys we drafted. They’re guys we take a lot of pride in who they’ve become. We couldn’t be more proud of those guys.”
“Part of my job is to think about the now and to think into the future, as well. … We don’t do that without thinking, ‘Can these guys contribute right away?’ We have a vision for both those guys [Pearsall and Cowing], how they can contribute. They represent a lot of the qualities we like. They were the best players there for us at the time. We’re thrilled to add those guys to an already strong room. We’re ready to roll forward.”