Brandon Aiyuk is available, as the San Francisco 49ers confirmed recently, and several teams have been strongly linked to the disgruntled wide receiver, including the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. Trade talks are often extremely fluid, however, as evidenced by the Steelers and New England Patriots seemingly dropping in and out of negotiations over the span of several days.
Which leads us to the "mystery team." Is it possible other suitors are lurking in the shadows, quietly angling for a blockbuster Aiyuk addition of their own? Here are three candidates to emerge as surprise contenders in the big-name sweepstakes:
The 49ers surely wouldn't prefer to deal their No. 1 downfield threat to a division rival, but they also don't prefer to deal Aiyuk at all. And intra-division trades, even for premium skill weapons, aren't completely unheard of. Remember the Detroit Lions dealt Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson to the rival Minnesota Vikings in 2022, avoiding a big-money commitment of their own. The Cardinals are seemingly on the rise with Kyler Murray healthy, but they've got money to spend and could use a running mate for new No. 1 Marvin Harrison Jr. Aiyuk also has local connections, finishing his college career at Arizona State.
Detroit Lions
The Lions just made Amon-Ra St. Brown one of the game's highest-paid receivers, so you'd think they might be hesitant to dedicate another big chunk of money to a second wideout. Look no further than the Philadelphia Eagles, who extended both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith with lucrative deals this offseason. Currently boasting the third-most salary cap space of any team (almost $43 million), the Lions also have a sneaky need for more receiver depth, which would take pressure off youngster Jameson Williams. This team is after a Super Bowl, so it wouldn't be crazy to see them aim for another splash.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts suffered a potentially big blow to their already-so-so wide receiver corps this week with second-year starter Josh Downs leaving practice with an ankle injury. That leaves Alec Pierce and rookie Adonai Mitchell as the top complements to Michael Pittman Jr. In other words, they could use a more proven big-play weapon for young quarterback Anthony Richardson, whose cannon of an arm would benefit from Aiyuk's speed. And general manager Chris Ballard has almost $26 million to spare in 2024 cap space.
