San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was about to join the "Rich Eisen Show," guest-hosted by Tom Pelissero, when news broke that his teammate, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, had requested a trade. This revelation made for an intriguing start to the conversation with Lenoir.
"This can't be true," Lenoir said, reacting to the breaking news.
Pelissero asked the cornerback about Aiyuk's importance to the 49ers and how crucial it is for both sides to eventually reach an agreement.
"He's extremely important to our offense," Lenoir responded. "The stuff he can do, the amount of targets he had, and the production, it's kind of second to none. So with just hearing that news, it's kind of crazy."
This isn't the first time the 49ers have dealt with a trade request from one of their star receivers. Deebo Samuel requested a trade two years ago, and the two sides eventually reached an agreement. The 49ers hope for a similar resolution with Aiyuk.
Last year, defensive end Nick Bosa and the 49ers agreed on a contract extension just days ahead of Week 1, ending a lengthy holdout.
So far, San Francisco has reportedly told other inquiring teams that it has no intention of trading Aiyuk.
Aiyuk is scheduled to earn $14.124 million on a team-exercised fifth-year option, well below the market value for top NFL receivers, which has skyrocketed this offseason. Aiyuk likely seeks more than twice his scheduled salary annually.
"At the end of the day, we feel like we go out there, we risk our bodies to play the game we love, and we kind of deserve what we ask for," Lenoir commented. "But for Aiyuk, he's a big part of this team, one of the reasons why we even made it this far, to the Super Bowl. Without his contribution to the team—he means a lot to us.
"So I'm banging on it getting the job done. We was two for two with Deebo and Bosa, so I feel like there's going to be some type of agreement that comes soon."
Lenoir is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is scheduled to become a free agent next year. He would obviously like to reach a long-term agreement with the 49ers.
"I'm just putting it all in God's hands," Lenoir stated. "I'm just going out there and give it 110%, like I always do."
As for a message to his teammate, Lenoir said the following on-air to Aiyuk: "We love you, bro. We just got to get it right. Hopefully, nothing serious happens, but just stay ready, and let's go win that Bowl."
Lenoir added, "A good friend. We've been going at it since college, and then me being drafted to the Niners, we actually got closer."
