{"id":848691,"date":"2026-04-02T06:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T06:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848691\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T06:03:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T06:03:21","slug":"dolphins-pegged-potential-landing-spot-for-120-million-playmaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848691\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolphins Pegged Potential Landing Spot for $120 Million Playmaker"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2263336706.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Jeff Hafley Brandon Aiyuk\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Bleacher Report&#8217;s Moe Moton named Jeff Hafley and the Miami Dolphins a potential landing spot for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/miami-dolphins\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Miami Dolphins<\/a> hit the reset button at quarterback and wide receiver this offseason. A fresh start makes sense, but the cupboard is now bare at wideout for new Dolphins quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/malik-willis\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Malik Willis<\/a>. Miami, though, could fix that with one receiver potentially set to still be traded this offseason \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/brandon-aiyuk\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brandon Aiyuk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This week, Bleacher Report\u2019s Moe Moton named four potential landing spots for Aiyuk if the <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/san-francisco-49ers\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco 49ers<\/a> trade or release him this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>The Dolphins were one of Moton\u2019s four landing spots.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAiyuk would be the clear-cut No. 1 option in Miami\u2019s aerial attack. Also working in his favor, he\u2019s familiar with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who was the 49ers\u2019 passing game specialist and coordinator from 2021 to 2022. In the latter year, Aiyuk recorded career highs in catches (78) and touchdown receptions (eight),\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/25413211-updated-landing-spots-brandon-aiyuk-if-49ers-trade-or-release-star-wr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">wrote Moton<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf anyone can help Aiyuk get back on the right track as one of the league\u2019s ascending receivers, it\u2019s Slowik.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/47296496\/49ers-place-brandon-aiyuk-reserve-left-team-list\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Aiyuk missed<\/a> all of the 2025 campaign because of knee injuries. In August 2024, he signed a 4-year, $120 million extension with the 49ers.<\/p>\n<p>Why the Dolphins Could Target WR Brandon Aiyuk<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5874837\" class=\"size-featured-image wp-image-5874837\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2178148611.jpg\" alt=\"Brandon Aiyuk\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5874837\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">GettyThe San Francisco 49ers could still trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Aiyuk doesn\u2019t seem to really fit what the Dolphins are doing on offense this offseason. Miami has dumped a lot of expensive, veterans to clear roster space for younger players.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a fresh start plan that will likely take years to materialize because the salary cap issues the Dolphins are accepting to move on from several veterans.<\/p>\n<p>Moton, though, sees the Dolphins as a potential suitor for Aiyuk because of their plethora of draft picks. Miami also can\u2019t expect Willis to have success with the team\u2019s current receiver room.<\/p>\n<p>For Willis\u2019s development sake, the Dolphins have to add a veteran wideout with more experience before the regular season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rebuilding Miami Dolphins may be wary of investing in a receiver who has experienced recent friction with his current team. On the other hand, they have 11 draft picks, which gives them flexibility to take a calculated swing on a wideout in his prime,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/25413211-updated-landing-spots-brandon-aiyuk-if-49ers-trade-or-release-star-wr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">wrote Moton<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Dolphins can\u2019t roll out a receiver room of backups and rookies and expect Malik Willis to grow as a first-time full-time starter. He needs help in the passing game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNearly three weeks ahead of the draft, Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell and Malik Washington lead the Dolphins\u2019 receiver unit. None of them have caught 50 passes or eclipsed 610 receiving yards in a season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aiyuk hasn\u2019t played since October 2024. So there\u2019s risk in acquiring him on the trade market. He\u2019s also expensive.<\/p>\n<p>But the Dolphins likely only accept a portion of Aiyuk\u2019s full salary and cap hit. Aiyuk would certainly be far more affordable if the 49ers release the wideout.<\/p>\n<p>With their need at receiver, Miami should at least kick around the idea of acquiring Aiyuk.<\/p>\n<p>Dolphins WR Depth Entering 2026<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5874827\" class=\"size-featured-image wp-image-5874827\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2263336706.jpg\" alt=\"Jeff Hafley Brandon Aiyuk\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5874827\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">GettyBleacher Report\u2019s Moe Moton named Jeff Hafley and the Miami Dolphins a potential landing spot for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.<\/p>\n<p>Aiyuk\u2019s age doesn\u2019t make him an ideal fit for the Dolphins. He turned 28 years old in March. Aiyuk could be 30 by the time Miami is really ready to be competitive again.<\/p>\n<p>But the Dolphins might need to add a wideout more than any other team in the league.<\/p>\n<p>After parting with <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/tyreek-hill\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tyreek Hill<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/jaylen-waddle\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaylen Waddle<\/a>, the Dolphins have <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/tutu-atwell\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tutu Atwell<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/jalen-tolbert\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jalen Tolbert<\/a> left as their top two receivers. Miami added each of them in free agency.<\/p>\n<p>Miami\u2019s top incumbent wideout is <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/malik-washington\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Malik Washington<\/a>, who had just 317 receiving yards in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>If the Dolphins could land Aiyuk for a reasonable draft pick, and his contract is affordable after the deal, acquiring him is a no-brainer for Miami. That\u2019s simply the case because the Dolphins absolutely need more talent at wideout.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/A\/AiyuBr00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Aiyuk posted<\/a> back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns for San Francisco in 2022 and 2023. During 2023, he had 75 catches, 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on his way to second-team All-Pro.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/dmholcomb\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dave Holcomb<\/a> is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker.  <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/dmholcomb\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Dave Holcomb<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Dolphins\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Bleacher Report&#8217;s Moe Moton named Jeff Hafley and the Miami Dolphins a potential landing spot for wide&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":848692,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2049],"tags":[217,7,216,251,2087,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-848691","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami-dolphins","8":"tag-dolphins","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-miami","11":"tag-miami-dolphins","12":"tag-miamidolphins","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116333604122275454","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/848692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}