An offseason full of trade rumors, no contract extension and whatnot led to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyukformally requesting a trade this past week. The 49ers of course don’t have to to a thing, but it may get ugly enough that they are forced to do something. And that something could very well be giving him a new contract.

There are some very realistic potential trade suitors for Aiyuk. There have been attempts to tie the Detroit Lions to a trade to get him, even openly acknowledging it as unlikely to happen. “Never say never” has been stretched to the max.

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com is the latest to shape a list of potential landing spots for Aiyuk. Four are among the aforementioned easy to mention possible suitors-the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants. Brooks has the Lions on his list, the fourth team mentioned-such as they may be ranked, and they may not be.

Bucky Brooks highlights a core issue with Lions getting Brandon Aiyuk in a trade

The idea of the Lions trading for Aiyuk has a certain level of appeal, leaving aside the notions they wouldn’t surrender the required draft capital or give Aiyuk the contract he’s looking for after paying Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The Lions would be taking away a key weapon from the team they had on the ropes in last year’s NFC Championship Game. They’d also be loading up their own offense for a Super Bowl run this year, while taking pressure off Jameson Williams to be their No. 2 wide receiver.

But Brooks got down to a core issue with the Lions trying to trade for Aiyuk, in the unlikely event they would.

“Though the addition (of Aiyuk) could disrupt the chemistry, rhythm and flow of a unit that already operates at a high level, the aggressive move could also make Detroit’s offense impossible to defend. The team would enter the 2024 regular season without a glaring weakness on that side of the ball, while simultaneously decreasing the explosive potential of an NFC rival. (Which, to be frank, underscores why this deal probably won’t take place.)”

The Lions have their own things that would keep them from having serious interest in trading for Aiyuk. On the other side the 49ers would, or should, have no interest in sending him to a team who can unseat them as NFC champions.

If they trade Aiyuk before the season starts, which is a big ‘if’, the 49ers would surely have the following things high on their checklist:

1. An AFC team
2. If an NFC team, one who is not a top contender this year

The Lions can be fully eliminated as even a casually mentioned landing spot for Aiyuk, right?