San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk made NFL news early this offseason with frequent social media posts expressing interest in playing for another franchise. Displeased with a lack of progress on contract talks with the 49ers front office, it appears the situation isn’t improving.
Aiyuk wants to become one of the highest-paid NFL players, ideally in San Francisco. However, limited 49ers cap space in the coming years and an eventual Brock Purdy contract extension complicate matters. The situation became even murkier during the 2024 NFL Draft.
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- Brandon Aiyuk contract: $14.124 million salary in 2024, 2025 NFL free agent
With Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel already being floated in NFL trade rumors, San Francisco used its first-round pick on Ricky Pearsall. It was a selection widely viewed around the league as a sign that one of the team’s top offensive weapons wouldn’t be around San Francisco much longer.
However, the 49ers have been adamant that they want to keep Aiyuk long-term and have zero interest in parting ways with him either via trade or in NFL free agency next offseason. Despite that public message, negotiations between the two sides don’t forecast a promising future.
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- Brandon Aiyuk stats 2023: 75 receptions, 1,342 receiving yards, 17.9 yards per reception, 7 touchdowns
Appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN senior NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that Aiyuk and the 49ers aren’t close on a contract extension.
“This one’s tricky because he was implicated in some trade talks around the draft. He wants a new contract; has one year left. I’m told the 49ers certainly are open to doing a deal, but talks have not progressed enough where things are close and so, is he going to show up for their workouts? Hard to tell right now. The market is pretty set for him. Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit did that deal recently, about $28 million a year. So, that’s something for Aiyuk and the 49ers to work off of but I’m told they’re not quite there yet.”
Jeremy Fowler on the San Francisco 49ers negotiations on a Brandon Aiyuk contract extension
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As Fowler noted, the bigger issue for the 49ers now is that Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith along with Detroit Lions wideout Amon_Ra St. Brown, signed contract extensions. With Justin Jefferson also headed for a long-term deal, the going rate for top receivers will soon be $30-plus million annually.
If the 49ers had come to the table with a much higher offer early in the NFL offseason, it’s possible that Aiyuk would’ve signed a contract extension. Now, it will cost San Francisco at least $28 million per season to retain Aiyuk. If the 49ers aren’t willing to pay that price, this could be his last season with the club.