3 Trade Chips Patriots Could Use to Seal Brandon Aiyuk Deal
By Ryan Bunton
2. DeMario Douglas
If the 49ers want to immediately fill the void left at receiver by an Aiyuk departure, second-year Patriots receiver DeMario Douglas could be in play.
Douglas had a promising rookie season, establishing himself as one of New England's best offensive players and a fan favorite. The five-foot-eight rookie out of Liberty led the Patriots in receiving yards and finished second in receptions.
New England also admittedly doesn't exactly have a plethora of roster talent, so including any roster player isn't going to be an easy goodbye. Sorry Pats fans, but the 49ers aren't giving up Brandon Aiyuk for Kayshon Boutte or Tyquan Thornton.
San Francisco used their 2024 first-round pick on Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall, which most interpreted as the organization taking out an insurance policy for an impending loss of Deebo Samuel or Aiyuk. Maybe the 49ers will feel comfortable with Pearsall stepping in to fill Aiyuk's shoes, but including Douglas in a deal would allow San Francisco to more closely maintain their status quo in the receiver room.
If Aiyuk departs, Deebo Samuel and Pearsall would be the Niners top receivers. Douglas' player archetype could be an analogous substitution for Aiyuk as they ranked similarly in yards after catch last season. Aiyuk had 362 YAC while Douglas racked up 336 yards.
Douglas could be an intriguing option for John Lynch and San Francisco if they are looking for a plug-and-play replacement.