The Buffalo Bills appear desperate for help at the wide receiver position as the 2026 offseason begins. With that desperation comes the fantasy pairing of Josh Allen and every disgruntled or otherwise available receiver in the league.
In that vein, it didn’t take long for the Bills to be linked as a possible trade destination for the fittingly disgruntled A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles.
In the otherwise available category, the Bills have reportedly shown interest in troubled Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison as a potential trade target. While there’s no direct link just yet, another troubled wide receiver in the league is also looking for a fresh start. So, naturally, it stands to reason that Buffalo would be a landing spot worth considering for San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk, as Moe Moton of Bleacher Report proposed on Thursday.
Another troubled receiver enters the Bills’ orbit as desperation mounts
It’s been a long time coming, but it appears Aiyuk’s time in San Francisco is officially done. Despite signing a 4-year, $120 million contract in 2024, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch made it clear that the franchise is moving on from the player.
Aiyuk saw his guarantees under the lucrative contract voided after he reportedly skipped rehab sessions following an ACL tear last season. He cut off all communications with the team in what Shanahan described as an “unfortunate” and “confusing” end to the Aiyuk saga in San Francisco.
Aiyuk struggled on the field when healthy since signing the contract, and the strange off-the-field drama with the Niners organization is certainly off-putting to any team that might otherwise consider acquiring him. A team like the Bills would have to weigh those risks in the hopes of improving arguably the biggest weakness on the roster.
That decision, at least for now, lies with Brandon Beane, who is trying to shake off the criticisms of poor wide receiver additions in recent seasons. Of course, this entire offseason effort of acquiring another receiver, particularly when character is a factor to be considered, will draw comparisons to Beane trading for Stefon Diggs in 2020.
Of course, Diggs’ character concerns were part of what drove him out of Buffalo and put the wide receiver room in the mess it is today. It hardly seems viable to reply to that move with another that seems doomed to end the same way, with even less hope of elite play to offset the headache caused by rostering such a player.
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Desperate times do call for desperate measures. But how desperate is Beane to entertain signing a wide receiver who has caught just 25 passes for 374 yards in the seven games he’s played since receiving his second contract, both due to injuries and questionable decisions off the field?
After Josh Palmer put up fewer numbers in 12 games for the Bills in 2025, and likewise for Brandin Cooks and Curtis Samuel in seven games, he might have no other choice but to be desperate enough to consider Aiyuk as a legitimate option in 2026.