The soap opera between Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers reached its climax on Tuesday. Without any agreement with the franchise and frustrated with the direction of the talks, the wide receiver made an official request to be traded, adding even more fuel to a relationship that has become tense in recent months.

According to league insider Mike Garafolo, the two sides had a recent meeting where they tried to smooth things over; Still, the team has not engaged in negotiations since May, and Aiyuk took the most dramatic step in resolving the situation.

Aiyuk has been dominating the news in these past few days, and many fans are interested in adding him to their teams. Looking at this situation, is it fair to say that the hype has been overblown, or does the 49ers’ star justify all this attention?

Is 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk Overrated?

Brandon Aiyuk is not overrated by any means – in fact, he has been a bit underrated in his past two years due to playing in Kyle Shanahan’s system, which definitely helps an offense. However, the amount of things he has been able to do on an individual basis shows how much quality he has.

In any team he might be moved for, Aiyuk would add a high amount of talent to the wide receiver group. Any infusion of talent at this time is welcome, especially before training camp, as it would give new players a bit of time to get used to their new team before the start of the season.

His own development is insane. He went from being a useful piece in Kyle Shanahan’s system to fully blossoming when Brock Purdy took over. His speed, his athleticism and his route running combine him into one of the great receivers in the league, way more important than Deebo Samuel for this team.

The 49ers knew since 2019 that he was going to be important. When he was drafted, the plan was for Aiyuk to arrive and become the vertical weapon that the 49ers lacked in 2019. After seeing Tyreek Hill destroying them in the Super Bowl, the team needed to add a vertical threat, and the then-player from Arizona State had complete conditions to be this piece.

It’s true that it might have taken a while. First, because the quarterback position was a mess. Aiyuk had plenty of flashes during the 2020 season, but the whole situation with Jimmy Garoppolo was not a good one. Although he had good numbers, his maturity was publicly questioned by Kyle Shanahan, the head coach.

In 2021, things took a turn for the better. The team changed its offensive philosophy and Deebo Samuel started to align more in the backfield, which meant added pressure on Brandon Aiyuk to produce on the outside. He had signs of evolution, but there was still a level of inconsistency in his game.

What he blossomed into in 2022 was unexpected. He not only crafted his route running, but started to better understand how to explore the opposing defenses and their zones. His hand game became better and drops started to disappear. Although the season ended in disappointment, the 49ers found themselves a WR1.

And that’s exactly what he proved to be in their most recent Super Bowl run. Not only a vertical threat anymore: he could align anywhere and produce everywhere. He’s fully into the second tier of wide receivers, just below Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill but alongside A. J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Want to know why many fanbases want their teams to trade for him? That’s because he’s really, really good.