Coming off their second Super Bowl appearance since the 2019 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers have had a fairly quiet offseason thus far. One question that looms large is whether a Brandon Aiyuk contract extension will get done soon, if at all.
If the 49ers don’t reach an extension with the 25th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, Aiyuk will become a free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season.
After reaching second-team All-Pro status in just his fourth year in the NFL, the 49ers don’t want to part with their star wideout now. Yet, with a shrinking wallet thanks to the need to pay Brock Purdy a massive contract extension before the 49ers’ QB reaches free agency at the end of the 2025 season, San Francisco may feel like they don’t have a choice but to part with Aiyuk instead of committing to a large extension.
Not to mention, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested, if the 49ers are even considering trading Aiyuk, moving him during the 2024 NFL Draft would make the most sense for a team looking to field the best roster possible this season.
For now, Aiyuk is owed $14.1 million in 2024, the final year of his rookie contract. Multiple teams have already tried to negotiate a trade for Aiyuk, but if San Francisco has shown interest, they clearly haven’t found a deal to their liking.
Yet, if the 49ers are actually willing to listen to trade offers, the belief is that Aiyuk would fetch at least a late first-round pick in return. By the end of Day 1, we should know whether Aiyuk will start the season in a 49ers uniform or somewhere else.
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