Chargers blockbuster trade proposal adds $120 million star receiver for NFL Draft pick

When it comes to their remaining needs, one of the biggest for the Los Angeles Chargers comes at wide receiver, where quarterback Justin Herbert simply doesn't have an adequate enough group.

The future of Ladd McConkey is bright in Los Angeles, but guys like Mike Williams and Quentin Johnston are total question marks. Williams looked like a shell of his former self in 2024 with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, and Johnston is unreliable with his unsure hands. Adding to all that, the Chargers lost Joshua Palmer to the Buffalo Bills in free agency.

General manager Joe Hortiz needs to add more to this group, and preferably a veteran who can make an immediate impact for a Chargers squad that made the playoffs last season.

That's why Bleacher Report's Moe Moton is suggesting a trade that would see the Chargers land San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for a 2025 third-round pick.

"Once Aiyuk fully recovers, he can be a more consistent deep threat than Mike Williams on the perimeter, while McConkey attacks the intermediate zones out of the slot," Moton wrote. "Before Aiyuk missed 10 games in 2024, he saw an increase in his receiving yards total every year since his 2020 rookie campaign. The big-play receiver averaged 17.9 yards per reception in 2023."

There has been a lot of transition in San Francisco this offseason and it stands to reason that the Niners could be looking to move off Aiyuk's contract.

Aiyuk signed a massive four-year, $120 million deal with the Niners last year, but the former second-team All-Pro suffered a torn ACL and MCL just seven games in. Bear in mind, that wasn't even the first year of Aiyuk's four-year pact, as he had one year of his rookie deal left.

Prior to his injury-shortened 2024 season, Aiyuk had two 1,000-yard campaigns in a row and posted a career-best 1,342 yards in 2023. If Aiyuk can get back to that or something close to it, he'd offer a huge upgrade for Los Angeles' wide receivers room.

But Aiyuk obviously comes with plenty of risk. He may not be himself in his first year back from the torn ACL, and he doesn't have a long track record of production, which means he isn't guaranteed to live up to his monstrous deal.

If the Chargers are going to take a swing on an Aiyuk trade, they should not be giving up a third-rounder because of all the factors we just mentioned. We'd be more comfortable giving up a fourth-round pick instead, but even then we'd be hesitant to make this trade.

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