Game recognizes game — even if one of them might be ending soon.
49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who reportedly requested a trade out of San Francisco, texted GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan after they selected former Florida wideout Ricky Pearsall with the 31st pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in Thursday’s first round.
“Fire pick, I can’t lie,” Aiyuk’s message said, according to Lynch.
Pearsall, 23, led Florida with 65 receptions and 965 receiving yards as a fifth-year senior, adding four touchdowns through the air and another pair of scores on the ground.
He projects to be a dependable slot receiver, according to numerous scouting reports, and his arrival did nothing to quell the 49ers rumor mill.
Whether he gets to line up in a formation with Aiyuk — or Deebo Samuel, who the 49ers reportedly listened to offers for Thursday — remains to be seen.
San Francisco is facing serious salary cap problems for 2025, meaning Aiyuk, as he enters the fifth and final season of his rookie contract, might not be around for it.
He’s coming off a career-best 1,341 yards in 2023 with 105 catches and seven touchdowns and would be a hot commodity on the trade market.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the 2024 NFL Draft
- 2024 NFL Draft grades for all 32 teams: Bears come up aces
- Grading every Giants 2024 NFL Draft pick: Malik Nabers leads way in surprising class
- Grading every Jets 2024 NFL Draft pick: Aaron Rodgers gets help
- NFL power rankings: Where all 32 teams stand after 2024 draft
Aiyuk’s agent, Ryan Williams, denied he requested a trade, and Lynch on Thursday night seemed like he wasn’t ready to go that route just yet.
“I know that we’re continuing to have positive talks with [Aiyuk] and we are really efforting to get something done with him,” Lynch said. “We’re excited about continuing down that path and Brandon being a part of this team.”
For now, Pearsall joins Aiyuk and Samuel on a deep receiving corps, on a team that’s lost in the Super Bowl twice in the past five years, while making it to the NFC Championship twice more in that span in search of the franchise’s first title since 1994.
That could all change if the right deal lands on the 49ers’ doorstep.
“We listen to everything,” Shanahan said. “Everything’s about trying to improve our team as much as we can for 2024 without jeopardizing ’25 as much as possible. So that’s everything you look into and whenever that opportunity comes, whichever way you can improve your team, you do that.”