This week, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that NFL teams have been "poking around" and inquiring about San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The team signed Aiyuk to a contract extension before last season, but he suffered season-ending ACL and MCL injuries in October.
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General manager John Lynch addressed the trade rumors while speaking to the media at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
"Yeah, that typically happens with really good players," Lynch said. "I remember, I think two years ago, having similar conversations. You get calls, and you always listen to calls."
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Lynch changed the subject and mentioned that the 49ers have been among the league's highest spenders in recent years. This can affect the salary cap and lead to tough financial decisions. However, this offseason, there is a clear emphasis on getting younger.
"At some point, you have to reset a little bit, or at least recalibrate," Lynch continued. "You can't just keep pressing the pedal. And I think there's some good that can come out of that. We need to get younger. I think we're the oldest team in football, trying to make a run at the deal last year, and I think it's good to constantly get younger.
"Our draft class last year was a great move towards that. We'll have four picks in the top 100. If the comp picks happen like we see it—that's always a calculation—we'll have 10 picks overall, and we're excited about adding more youth to a great core of players that we already have."
Aiyuk recovery update
In a more intimate conversation with Bay Area reporters, Lynch provided an update on Aiyuk's recovery.
"He's doing well," Lynch said. "I know, coming up here in a couple of weeks ... there's kind of a big marker coming up. But I know that, anecdotally, he's doing really well, and our trainers, who have been with him, say he's doing very well.
"He's putting in the work. That's what you have to do. And like I've always said, the real top-end athletes tend to heal at a little faster rate, and I think that's going on with Brandon as well."
Lynch also mentioned that a significant test is approaching, which will give the 49ers a clearer understanding of Aiyuk's progress in recovering from his injury.
