The San Francisco 49ers are no stranger to uncomfortable contract negotiations. The organization does things its way. Unafraid to let talks linger late into the Preseason, San Francisco usually ends up on the winning side. Led by general manager John Lynch, the front office has a lengthy track record of paying their stars accordingly. However, that does not preclude negotiations stalling, leading to awkward trade talks or distracting holdouts. Look no further than Deebo Samuel.
Coming off a 2021 All-Pro season, the wide receiver rightfully wanted a new deal. While San Francisco shared the sentiment, a grueling negotiating period led to a public trade request and a notable Training Camp holdout. In the final year of his three-year $71 million deal, Samuel now wants out. Seeing his time with the organization dwindling, the receiver requested a trade during his exit interview back in January. While Samuel will be known as one of the most unique and beloved players during his time with the 49ers, his contract marked the first time San Francisco truly regretted paying one of their top stars.
Despite the 49ers’ many contractual whiffs (Jerick McKinnon, Dee Ford, and Javon Hargrave), Samuel irritated San Francisco’s brass to the point of feeling regret once they had signed the deal.
Shockingly, that feeling can also be attributed to two of the 49ers’ highest-paid players.
49ers Resent Brandon Aiyuk?
The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract extension on August 30th, 2024. The deal marked the end of a long and strenuous negotiation, which included a public trade request, infuriating podcast appearances and social media posts, and an embarrassing hold-in during Training Camp.
According to Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard, the 49ers still hold negative feelings toward Brandon Aiyuk about how he handled himself last summer.
“I know that there’s still frustration about the way Brandon Aiyuk handled his bitter negotiations last summer. And that members of the front office were never thrilled about giving him a $30-million-a-year deal on the eve of the regular season.”
Financially speaking, Aiyuk’s contract may become one of the biggest what-ifs of the Kyle Shanahan era. While the receiver recovers from a torn ACL suffered in October, his time in the Red and Gold nearly ended last offseason. Just as Lynch was discussing a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Shanahan raced upstairs to let the GM know Aiyuk was ready to sign.
Funny enough, wide receivers have given the 49ers the most stress when discussing a new contract. Yet, Nick Bosa gave Aiyuk a run for his money to see who can drag things out longer just before the 2023 season.
49ers Hate Caving to Nick Bosa
Nobody likes losing. For the 49ers front office, signing former defensive player of the year Nick Bosa to a five-year, $170 million contract felt like a major defeat, according to Kawakami.
“And for a team that absolutely hates setting contract precedents, [the 49ers] probably doesn’t feel great in retrospect for buckling and giving Nick Bosa $34 million a year (and $120 million guaranteed) — which still stands as the highest salary and most guaranteed money in the league among defensive players — two Septembers ago after his long holdout.”
Paying Nick Bosa was the right decision. He is a cornerstone player that the 49ers continue to build their defense around. Although, with San Francisco desiring to not reset the market, one has to wonder how it will impact quarterback Brock Purdy.
All indications show that Purdy will refrain from asking for a record-setting contract. However, with the precedent set forth by the 49ers, even if Purdy wants to surpass Dak Prescott’s $60 million per year, the team would decline.
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