Since taking over as general manager of the Detroit Lions, Brad Holmes’ interest in wide receivers has been both speculated and confirmed. He went up 20 positions to take Jameson Williams in the 2022 NFL Draft, but this came about a year after he was said to be interested in moving up for Ja’Marr Chase on Day 1 of the 2021 draft. Even after selecting Williams in 2022, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the next day, April 29, that the Lions had “an offer on the table” for top receiver Deebo Samuel, but the San Francisco 49ers refused to accept the deal.
Rumors linking the Lions to an upgrade in their wide receiver group persisted throughout the offseason. Whether it was dealing for Tee Higgins, attempting to sign his teammate Tyler Boyd, or even bringing in a veteran like Robert Woods, plenty of names have been circulated as a way to elevate this offense. A move for a player like Higgins or Boyd could have been pricey in terms of draft capital, but supporters of the Lions going all in believe the team’s window is now open. So it makes sense to move all of their chips to the center of the table to completely isolate Jared Goff.
Which leads us to today’s Question of the Day…
Would you approve of the Lions trading for Brandon Aiyuk?
Before getting into the personnel fit and the player, it’s just as important to consider Aiyuk’s contract situation. He’s entering the option year of his entry-level rookie contract that’s set to pay him a little over $14 million in 2024. Contract extension talks with the 49ers have, according to Aiyuk himself via Jayden Daniels TikTok, not been of mutual interest.
“They said they don’t want me back,” Aiyuk told his former Arizona State teammate on June 17. “I swear.” From the 49ers’ perspective, there is only so much money to distribute to skill position players. on recent years, the team has invested on George Kittle (five years, $75 million), Deebo Samuel (three years, $71.5 million), and, most recently, Christian McCaffrey (two years, $38 million). With choice No. 31, the Niners selected wideout Ricky Pearsall to add to an already filled room, but given the way talks between Aiyuk and the organization have gone, it’s understandable that San Francisco chose to add a wide receiver on a cost-controlled deal.
From Aiyuk’s perspective, he’s clearly established himself as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL and deserving of a big payday. In 2023, he was the second-ranked wideout according to PFF (92.3 offense grade), and was the most efficient downfield threat not named Tyreek Hill—his 17.9 yards per reception and 3.01 yards per route both ranked third in the NFL.
