The San Francisco 49ers have yet to get a deal done with Brandon Aiyuk, and that could lead to his exit before the end of the 2024 NFL draft. The 49ers have publicly stated their desire to keep him, but a new update implies that may not matter.
On April 23, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport spoke on the situation on The Insiders. From Rapoport’s understanding, it’s comes down to Aiyuk’s own wishes.
“Whatever the 49ers will pay Brandon Aiyuk, who they really, really like as a player, who they developed all the way through, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a team that’s willing to pay him more,” Rapoport said. “That’s actually not really the question. The question really is: Does Brandon Aiyuk want to stay in San Francisco with a team that’s awesome and will probably be very good for a long time?”
If Aiyuk forces his hand, there isn’t much San Francisco can do. At that point, they could keep Aiyuk around for his last season but then watch him leave for free next offseason. Otherwise, they’ll have to pull the trigger on a trade to get something for him.
Aiyuk Becoming Highest-Paid WR?
As Rapoport mentions, the 49ers obviously want to keep Aiyuk around. It’s just a matter of if they can afford it or not. Considering that fellow Niners WR Deebo Samuel is the 7th highest-paid WR by average salary, San Francisco has already committed a lot of resources to the position.
Rapoport continued his update by posing a question.
“Are they going to pay him the most in the NFL? Maybe not,” Rapoport said. “They’ve got a good team. They want to keep it together. But would it be enough to keep him? … I’m leaning more, as of right now, of him potentially staying, but this story has not yet been written fully at all.”
Spotrac projects a $25 million average salary for Aiyuk on his next deal. That would leave him as the fourth-highest paid WR in the NFL. That kind of money could probably keep Aiyuk around, but the 49ers could always be outbid.
Latest from 49ers GM John Lynch
On April 22, 49ers general manager John Lynch offered an update from the franchise’s perspective. Lynch claims that San Francisco and Aiyuk have stayed in communication recently.
“A couple years ago, there was a lot of talk about another receiver, Deebo. And I said the same thing but with B.A.,” Lynch said. “B.A. and I have communicated on a couple of occasions, on many occasions our wish… And our wish is to that he’s here and a part of the Niners for the rest of his career. We’re working through that.”
San Francisco may want that, but they may not be able to give Aiyuk what he wants. After 2357 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns over the last two seasons, he has established himself as one of the NFL’s best pass-catchers.
That being said, the 49ers were in a worse position with Samuel two years ago. The WR asked for a trade at one point, but San Francisco was still able to give him an extension.
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