Patriots

49ers GM shuts down trade rumors of WRs reportedly targeted by Patriots

"We didn't entertain any of that today," John Lynch said.

The Patriots reportedly showed interest in both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, but the 49ers weren't willing to move either of the receivers. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)

By Colin McCarthy

April 27, 2024

The trade rumor mill revolved around San Fransisco Thursday night into Friday morning.

Picking a wide receiver 31st overall led media members and NFL insiders to speculate about the future of two of the 49ers’ current receivers, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

During night two of the NFL Draft on Friday, San Fransisco general manager John Lynch addressed the trade rumors surrounding the duo.

“We didn’t entertain any of that today. We’re happy with our wide receiver group,” Lynch told reporters. “Actually, more than happy. We’re thrilled with it. And thrilled to add Ricky [Pearsall] to make it stronger.”

#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if the intention is to have both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel on the roster in 2024. His response:

"It's the same intentions of what yesterday was… We love those guys. We thought they would be on our team yesterday. We still do. We still…
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) April 27, 2024

In most of the reports through the night and into the morning, the Patriots were one of the teams linked to trade inquiries about the pair of receivers. Possessing high second and third round picks and looking to fill a major hole at WR, those reports made sense.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport’s initial reaction to San Fransisco’s selection was that Aiyuk could be moved, and the Patriots had reportedly inquired about him at some point in the offseason. On Friday morning, Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi reported that Samuel was more likely to be traded than Aiyuk, and that New England, once again, was interested.

However, ultimately the 49ers didn’t want to move either of their stars, and New England had its eyes set on Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk anyway, drafting him 34th overall.

The Patriots will continue building their roster through the draft with a pair of high picks in the fourth round (103 & 110 overall).