The situation between the San Francisco 49ers and star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has reportedly turned ugly.
It was earlier in the week that Aiyuk posted a cryptic message on social media indicating that he doesn’t believe the 49ers’ brass wants him back.
This came after Aiyuk was a holdout from mandatory minicamp as the star pass-catcher seeks a lucrative long-term contract. It also comes amid an offseason in which trade rumors have been the name of the game for Aiyuk as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.
Most rightfully believe that the 49ers are going to retain Aiyuk rather than trade him. The defending NFC champs are in win-now mode. Aiyuk is among the most important players when it comes to their success heading into the 2024 season.
- Brandon Aiyuk stats (2023): 75 receptions, 1,342 yards, 7 TD
With this situation seemingly set to spiral out of control, we’re hearing more rumors on what could happen moving forward.
“If they can’t get something done with Brandon Aiyuk and he wants to make an issue of it, for example he already skipped mandatory minicamp, it is possible that either Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel ends up on the trade block, be it now, be it before the season starts, even if it goes toward the trade deadline in early November. So other teams are watching this situation closely. If the 49ers can’t get him signed, there’s still a possibility he ends up getting traded.”
ESPN’s Dan Graziano on Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers (h/t Bleacher Report)
Samuel’s name had also come up in rumors leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft earlier in the spring. There are a lot of factors here. Primarily, it’s financial.
We’ve seen the wide receiver market spin out of control throughout the offseason. Headed by Justin Jefferson’s record-breaking four-year, $140 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings, players at this position continue to get paid big time.
Aiyuk is said to be looking for at least $30 million annually on an extension. Given the 49ers’ cap situation, it’s not yet known whether that’s sustainable. After all, the likes of Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are among the highest-paid at their respective position in the game.