It’s official. Brandon Aiyuk has requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. And as it just so happens The Los Angeles Chargers don’t have a sure thing at the position. While there are many reasons why a trade for 2020’s 25th overall pick should not be made, the truth is the Chargers offense would automatically become one of the league’s best with Aiyuk on the team.
What Brandon Aiyuk Would Add to the Los Angeles Chargers
We have already seen what Justin Herbert can do with a receiver that is as well equipt as Aiyuk, but it was in the form of two receivers. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams complemented each other very well when it came to completing a route tree. Allen is excellent in short routes and Williams excelled as a deep option. When both were on the field Herbert was much much better off. With one or both injured, Herbert’s completion percentage dropped more than 10 percent, and his EPA per dropback plummeted.
Aiyuk has one of the most complete route trees in all of football. He would be Williams and Allen wrapped into one complete package.
And that isn’t all he does well. He is great against both man and zone coverages. He placed second behind just A.J. Brown against man coverage. Success against man cuts down on the noise associated with wide receiver stats. Even more impressive is that his success rate against press-man coverage is in the 97th percentile. Compared to the Chargers’ former Twin Towers receivers, Aiyuk dwarfs them in all coverages.
And it must be pointed out that all of Aiyuk’s stats have been generated while playing with inferior quarterbacks. Herbert could make him even better.
He is also one of the better blocking wide receivers in the league, a must-have to play in the Jim Harbaugh offense. Aiyuk posted the best run-blocking grade from PFF for wide receivers last season.
The biggest distinction to make between Aiyuk and Allen and Williams is his incredible track record of health. He has missed just three games in his first three seasons, two of which were due to COVID.
Trade Compensation and Contract Considerations for Brandon Aiyuk
Of course, San Francisco won’t send Aiyuk south for nothing. The closest trade to this situation would be when the Philadelphia Eagles sent a first and a third to Tennessee in exchange for AJ Brown. A few distinctions there; that trade happened during the draft, meaning the Titans would directly benefit from the trade that year and Brown had yet to hit the heights that Aiyuk did last season.
The Chargers would have to part ways with a player. Looking at the list of tradable assets on the Chargers roster means giving up something significant, whether that is Derwin James, Joey Bosa, or perhaps Rashawn Slater in addition to draft capital.
The Chargers will also have to figure out how to pay him. It was reported that he turned down a $26 million average-year offer, but will likely need to get up to $30 million AAV. Amon-Ra St. Browns contract is a good comp for what Aiyuk is looking for, 4 years $120 million with cap hits of $19 million and $33 million over the next two years.
This would wipe out the Chargers’ current cap space for this season and much of next season’s.
