The Los Angeles Rams need to at least check in on wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk if the San Francisco 49ers release him, which seems like an inevitability. Aiyuk is not necessarily a transformative player after being out of football for so long, but after inactivity at the NFL trade deadline, the Rams need to find some way to boost a position group that’s currently in dire straits.
SI’s Grant Cohn named the Rams as a potential destination for Aiyuk:
Davante Adams is on Injured Reserve with a torn hamstring,
and Puka Nacua is expected to be placed on IR after he recently suffered MCL, PCL and turf-toe injuries. So the Rams are desperate. And Aiyuk would be cheap. And he probably would be their No. 1 wide receiver until Nacua and Adams return. And nothing would make Aiyuk happier than to face the 49ers at some point this season. Keep in mind, the 49ers and Rams are scheduled to meet at Levi’s Stadium on December 13.
Puka Nacua is on injured reserve. Adams is as well. Now Jordan Whittington will miss time. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is running out of options at wide receiver, so it behooves Los Angeles to be aggressive with what’s left on the free agent market.
Brandon Aiyuk timeline
Aiyuk’s dramatic saga with the 49ers has ben well-publicized. After an All-Pro season in 2023, Aiyuk held out until signing a four-year, $120 million deal ahead of the 2024 campaign. His production dropped off and then he suffered a season-ending injury after playing just seven games. From then on, he refused to report back to the team and has been out of the sport for the better part of two years, while Kyle Shanahan has been dismissive at best about his former starter.
This ordeal could be close to an end, however, with Aiyuk applying for reinstatement and passing a physical this week.
Rams wide receiver needs
It took Aiyuk a few seasons to take off in San Francisco, but his breakout campaign was stellar, posting 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. That was in 2023, which by NFL standards is an eternity, but anything close to that ceiling would be a boon for L.A.’s offense.
At his best, he’s a strong route runner and separator with a knack for gaining yards after the catch. He’s also a willing and able blocker on the boundary, which would assist an already excellent Rams rushing attack.
Clearly, he comes with sizable off-field baggage, but that feels like a secondary concern at this point.
Meanwhile, with Whittington hitting IR, the Rams’ subsequent move was to sign Xavier Smith back to the active roster, which adds back a player with experience on this team but not exactly one who strikes fear in opponents’ hearts. That leaves the Rams with a wide receiver corps of Smith, Tutu Atwell, C.J. Daniels and Konata Mumpfield. That’s just not a good enough group for a Super Bowl contender, which is exactly why there were so many receiver-related rumors swirling around the Rams for weeks heading into the trade deadline.
There are a handful of other veteran free agent wide receivers available right now, although none have the kind of ceiling that Aiyuk has. Maybe Darius Slayton or Curtis Samuel gets a call from Les Sneed instead in the coming days.
But if you’re going to take a shot at adding some kind of additional talent to the wide receivers room, you may as well go for broke with Brandon Aiyuk. It’s not the most exciting addition Los Angeles could make, but there’s only so much it can do with the trade deadline in the past and a slate of daunting games coming up down the stretch.
