There has been a lot of speculation that the San Francisco 49ers won’t be able to retain star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk long-term due to the team’s financial issues and other big-money contracts.
Fresh off a career-best performance, Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The former Arizona State star is set to count $14.12 million against the cap next season with free agency looming in March of 2025.
In talking about his star pass-catcher during the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, 49ers general manager John Lynch displayed renewed confidence that an extension could be in the cards this offseason.
“We’ve got a nice track record of extending guys…and Brandon (Aiyuk) is a guy we’d like to keep around,” Lynch told reporters.
It’s a bit of a different tone from earlier in February when Lynch admitted that there “are some challenges” when it comes to handing Aiyuk a market-value extension.
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Brandon Aiyuk stats (2023): 75 receptions, 1,342 yards, 7 TD
Aiyuk took over for Deebo Samuel as the 49ers’ No. 1 receiving option for Brock Purdy this past season. The two played a major role in leading San Francisco to another Super Bowl appearance. It’s something Lynch does not want to see come to an end.
“One of my favorite guys around our building,” Lynch said of Brandon Aiyuk. “The way he approaches the game, he’s a competitor, he’s a warrior. He plays with such a physicality [and] also with grace, the way some of the positions his body can get into. And then he’s got a flare for making plays when it matters most, and he’s served us very well as a franchise.”
At issue here are the finances. San Francisco boasts some of the most-lucrative contracts in the NFL. Christian McCaffrey and Nick Bosa are the highest-paid players at their respective positions. Trent Williams, George Kittle and Fred Warner are among the three highest-paid at their positions, too.
The good news for San Francisco is the fact that this year’s NFL salary cap increased leaps and bounds from a season. That can help from a short-term perspective. In fact, signing Aiyuk to an extension rather than trading him would actually lower his cap figure.