thesack12 wrote:Yeah, in all likelihood having 55-60 mil/season on the cap for WR's, and only 2 of them at that, is not a sustainable model. It might not even be a workable situation in the short term.
Between Deebo and Aiyuk, its obvious that Aiyuk is clearly the better Wide reciever. However, it wouldn't be hard to make an argument that Deebo is the better football player. Deebo is just so versatile possesses a unique skillset. Its also pretty clear that Kyle relies and leans heavily on using Deebo as his chess piece. As we saw in the playoffs, not having Deebo significantly reduces the overall effectiveness of the offense. Deebo's versatility, ability to line up all over the field, and immense amount of pre-snap motion puts a lot of stress on the opposing defenses and gives them a ton to think about. Both in the film room, and also on the field on Sundays.
Depending on the return, I wouldn't hate trading Deebo. However, as great as Aiyuk is, and he is great, I tend to think that replacing him will be easier than Replacing Deebo. At least "replace" in terms of getting something resembling quality pure WR play/prodution.
I just think that Deebo's impact goes far beyond the numbers and stats.
All that said, health is always a concern with Deebo. Which is unlikely to change as he ages, especially considering his physical style of play.
Yeah, no argument on any of that. As you say at the end, though, the injuries are a persistent thing. He plays so violently that it's hard to stay healthy. And not only won't it change, you would expect it to get worse as he ages. I have concerns about him aging the same way I do a RB. He could fall off a cliff once he starts to lose some of his physical ability. I also think Aiyuk can be more than he is right now, but they need to focus on featuring him more.
In terms of the big questions on offense, Aiyuk and Purdy, they have to rethink some things. IF they're going to give Purdy a monster deal, they need to give him more control of the offense. Hopefully that will come as he grows and Kyle learns to trust him more. and IF they're going to keep Aiyuk for big money, they need to use him more like other teams do with their #1 guys. Don't just line him up at split end all the time. Move him around, get him some free releases, get him the ball in space. If they aren't going to do those things, then it's hard to justify giving either of these guys the money they'll command.
