The San Francisco 49ers fell to 3-4 by losing their Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
They also appeared to lose one of their top offensive playmakers.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk left Week 7 after suffering what appeared to be a severe knee injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers are concerned that Aiyuk injured his ACL.
If so, Aiyuk will represent a tremendous loss for San Francisco. The former first-round pick blossomed into a legitimate WR1 in 2023, earning second-team All-Pro honors while finishing second in yards per reception (17.9) and seventh in receiving yards (1,342).
While the 49ers still have pass catchers like Deebo Samuel Sr., Jauan Jennings, and George Kittle, and running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles tendinitis) is poised to return soon, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch could consider trading for a wide receiver.
San Francisco leads the league with $55+ million in cap space, so they can afford to acquire any pass catcher they think might help their season. Here are 10 wideouts the 49ers might explore before the NFL’s Nov. 5 trade deadline.
Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers
Diontae Johnson has already been traded once this year. The Carolina Panthers landed Johnson and a 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 240) from the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason in exchange for CB Donte Jackson and a 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 178).
Pro Football Network ranked the Panthers’ acquisition of Johnson as the best trade of the 2024 NFL offseason.
Dalton 🎯 Diontae for 6!
📺: #ATLvsCAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ziAgEojCST— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
Johnson was held to 36 receiving yards with Bryce Young working as Carolina’s starting quarterback but thrived once Andy Dalton took over. The veteran WR caught 10 passes for a career-high 122 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ Week 3 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders and has scored twice in three games since.
Johnson has been a significant part of Carolina’s passing game; his 27.5% team target share ranks 11th among all wideouts. But the Panthers are 1-6, and Johnson is a pending free agent. If they aren’t planning to extend him, Carolina’s brain trust should move Johnson before the deadline.
Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
While the Jacksonville Jaguars have won two of their last three games, they’re still 2-5 on the season. Head coach Doug Pederson and GM Trent Baalke might not be interested in trading any of Jacksonville’s veteran assets as they try to save their jobs. However, the Jaguars’ willingness to move players could change if the club fires its decision-makers before the trade deadline.
In that scenario, Christian Kirk would be one of the Jaguars’ most attractive trade chips — and could be intriguing for the 49ers.
Kirk is more expensive than Johnson, but San Francisco has the room to pick up the prorated remainder of his $14.5 million base salary. While he’s under contract through 2025, none of Kirk’s future earnings are guaranteed, so the Niners could view him as a de facto rental.
Kirk posted 84 catches for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns for Jacksonville in 2022 and was on a similar pace in 2023 before suffering a season-ending groin injury in Week 13. He’s best in the slot, which could limit his appeal for the 12-personnel-heavy 49ers, but Kirk will at least be on San Francisco’s radar.
DeAndre Hopkins and Tyler Boyd, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are 1-5 after losing to the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. Teams in Tennessee’s position — losing games with relatively new decision-makers — are usually open to trading some of their pending free agents at the deadline.
DeAndre Hopkins and Tyler Boyd both fit that bill. Hopkins is in the final season of the two-year, $26 million deal he signed with the Titans in 2022, while Boyd is on a one-year, $2.4 million pact.
Hopkins was limited by injury to begin the season. Since then, he’s been limited by the Titans’ quarterbacks. Hopkins caught six passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 but has been quiet since. In Week 7, he caught one pass on one target … for negative two yards. He probably can’t wait to get out of Tennessee and would likely welcome a move to a destination like San Francisco.
Boyd, meanwhile, is nearly a slot-only player, having lined up on the inside on almost 80% of his snaps in 2024. He’s a more limited receiver than Hopkins, but he’s a capable veteran who could give the 49ers competent snaps.
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots
We already know the 49ers like Kendrick Bourne. They signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington, watched him develop into a legitimate contributor, and reportedly wanted Bourne included in any New England Patriots offer for Brandon Aiyuk earlier this year.
Bourne hauled in 49 catches for 667 yards and two touchdowns for San Francisco in 2019. He wouldn’t require additional time to get up to speed on the 49ers’ offense, while he was generally considered a solid run blocker during his time in the NFC West.
While New England just signed Bourne to a three-year, $19.5 million in March, the 29-year-old won’t be a long-term asset for the Drake Maye-led Patriots. They’re better off moving Bourne and letting young pass catchers like DeMario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker get more reps.
Mike Williams, New York Jets
The New York Jets kicked off wide receiver trade season by reuniting Davante Adams with Aaron Rodgers last week. With Adams and Garrett Wilson headlining Gang Green’s WR depth chart, New York is aiming to trade fellow WR Mike Williams.
Williams did not practice last Wednesday or Thursday amid the trade rumors. The Jets listed his practice absence as “personal.” Williams returned to practice on Friday and will play when the Jets face the Steelers on Sunday night.
This response is the biggest thing I don’t understand about Aaron….can be super charismatic, his swagger gives teammates the ultimate confidence BUT
why can’t he shoulder ALL the blame in the media and then get behind closed doors with Mike Williams or the whole offense or the… pic.twitter.com/JyEhoX1DVP
— Ryan Fitzpatrick (@FitzMagic_14) October 15, 2024
Still, there’s no reason to think New York is done trying to trade him. Williams reportedly generated trade interest from the Los Angeles Chargers (his former team), Steelers, and New Orleans Saints last week.
Williams isn’t the same type of player as Aiyuk, but he could be a jump-ball winner in San Francisco. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s 9.3-yard average depth of target ranks second in the NFL.
Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns already traded one of their wideouts when they sent Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills last week. Will Cleveland be willing to move another wide receiver before the deadline?
Elijah Moore wouldn’t have the same impact on the 49ers as Cooper will on the Bills, but the pending free agent would be much cheaper to acquire. While Buffalo sacrificed a third-round pick for Cooper, San Francisco could probably get Moore for a late-round pick swap.
Moore has always offered inside-outside versatility and has spent even more time in the slot (60%) in 2024. The former second-round pick managed 652 receiving yards in a Browns offense that was mostly broken last season.
Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants
Few wideouts have been mentioned in as many (ultimately unfruitful) trade rumors over the past few seasons as Darius Slayton. He’s still on the New York Giants’ roster and still producing when called upon.
With star New York WR Malik Nabers sidelined by a concussion, Slayton went 8-122-1 in Week 5 and 6-57-0 in Week 6, leading the Giants in catching and receiving yardage in both games. He’s hardly a star, but Slayton has posted 700 receiving yards in four of his five NFL seasons.
Jalin Hyatt is only in his second NFL season, but he’s squarely behind Nabers, Slayton, and Wan’Dale Robinson in Big Blue’s WR pecking order. The 2023 third-round pick has been targeted just eight times this year. With the Giants’ wideout depth chart at full strength in Week 7, Hyatt played three offensive snaps.
Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams limped through a lost 2022 season after winning the Super Bowl the year before, and the 2024 NFL campaign is starting to shape up similarly.
Sean McVay’s squad is 2-4 entering Week 8. Wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are hurt; starting offensive linemen Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila are on injured reserve. It’s hard to see L.A. getting back in the playoff race, especially with games against the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks over the next three weeks.
While Tutu Atwell is seeing offensive snaps with Nacua and Kupp sidelined, he’ll revert to a reserve role once the Rams’ premier wideouts return. The Rams probably won’t re-sign Atwell when he hits the open market next offseason.
If the Rams are willing to trade with a division rival, Atwell could act as a situational speed demon for the 49ers. Among wide receivers with at least 100 targets since 2022, Atwell ranks 11th in average depth of target (13.7 yards) and 20th in yards per reception (14.4).