The Indianapolis Colts lost one of their most important players this offseason. To keep Alec Pierce on the team for the long run, they moved on from Michael Pittman Jr., sending him to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a salary cap-clearing deal.
As much as keeping Pierce was a priority, and as talented and impactful as he is, that left Daniel Jones without a bona fide possession receiver. They signed Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, but he's been mostly a rotational guy.
Fortunately for them, there might be a star available pretty soon. As Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report pointed out, the San Francisco 49ers might be tempted to take anything they can get for Brandon Aiyuk after June 1.
The Indianapolis Colts should be interested in trading for Brandon Aiyuk
"...San Francisco may be more aggressive about trying to move Aiyuk after June 1. In other words, it may be willing to take less in compensation. A trade before then would cost $19.9 million in additional cap space, while a trade after June 1 would save $1.3 million," Knox wrote.
Of course, Brandon Aiyuk would come with several question marks. For starters, there are doubts about his rehab approach, so he might not be back to full strength or might have to deal with lingering ailments.
Moreover, he's been a handful for the 49ers from the second he started negotiating his new contract. He tried to leverage his way out of the team, and it's been pretty clear that he's as done with them as they are with him.
That said, Aiyuk is a former second-team All-Pro guy who's still in his prime. He's an easy 1,000 receiving yards, and he'd give Daniel Jones a reliable pass catcher to move the chains, while Josh Downs handles things in the slot and Pierce is his big-play specialist.
Trading for Aiyuk would come with some risks, but everything does in this league. The Colts proved to be all-in on this team when they agreed to send away two first-round picks to get Sauce Gardner, so they might as well double down on that approach.
Jones is coming off an injury, and giving him more weapons is the best way to put him in a position to succeed. Also, with head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard potentially on the hot seat, this would be the type of swing for the fences that might save both of their jobs. It's a gamble, but not many players of his caliber might be available at a bargain before the start of the season.
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