In the fall, Brandon Aiyuk will be entering his fourth NFL season. Thanks to the fifth-year option, the San Francisco 49ers can hold onto him through 2024. Right now, the team is likely focused on locking up NFL Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Nick Bosa to a long-term contract. Aiyuk's time will come, though.
If it were up to Aiyuk, he wouldn't ever play anywhere else. However, the receiver understands how the NFL works. It is a business, and he has to ensure his family is provided for.
"Me personally, I love being here in The Bay," Aiyuk told Brad Graham of TheSFNiners. "I love playing. I love being a Forty-Niner."
And the 49ers would love to keep him. This season, Aiyuk surpassed the 1,000-receiving-yard mark for the first time in his career. In his third NFL season, the wideout registered 78 receptions for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns—all career highs—through 17 starts.
"With Brandon, Brandon had a fantastic year," general manager John Lynch said last week. "I really applaud Brandon. Kyle calls him a warrior often. We appreciate the way he plays, the way he's improved his play since he's been here, and we'll figure that out in due time."
Not satisfied by his accomplishments this season, Aiyuk is looking to work hard and achieve even greater feats. Working toward that will begin this offseason, after some much-needed time to recuperate from a long and arduous NFL campaign.
"I'm a competitor. I want to compete," Aiyuk said. "I want to maximize everything that I have in my body and put on display, as a football player, when I put that name on the back of my jersey. As for the front of the jersey, I would love to be a Forty-Niner. Like I spoke to earlier, this is a business. I got a couple of people that share my last name that I need to take care of. If they want to take care of me, then I would love to be [here]. But we all know it's much harder than that and it's a tough business. It's hard work.
"Every player has a vision for what they want to be as a player, and they want to be able to fully show that and be compensated for that. The ball ain't in my court. I'm going to go to work after I enjoy my time off and reflect on the season. I'm going back to work. I know what I'm about. I'm sure everybody in that building knows what I'm about. So if they want me to be a Forty-Niner, I'm sure we can get that done."
San Francisco drafted Aiyuk (6-0, 200) out of Arizona State with the No. 25 overall pick in 2020. The 24-year-old receiver has caught 194 passes for 2,589 yards and 18 touchdowns in 46 game appearances (44 starts) through his three NFL seasons.
49ers plan to exercise Brandon Aiyuk's 5th-year option as other teams express interest
By David Bonilla
Mar 27
Don't expect San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to go anywhere anytime soon. On Monday morning, at the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona, general manager John Lynch made it clear the team plans to exercise the star player's fifth-year option.
"Brandon's been excellent for us," Lynch told reporters. "I'd be shocked if we didn't. We still have some time. It's (the deadline) the day after the draft, I believe, we have to make those decisions. And so we're still discussing, but it probably makes sense to do that for Brandon.
"He's a really good player. It's interesting when you're at these league functions, ownership meetings, combine, a lot of people ask about him. They really appreciate his game, and they see it ascending. And he's a guy we're very
Rohan Chakravarthi breaks down the San Francisco 49ers free agency moves and what's next for the organization, including a Brandon Aiyuk extension.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our
From Hall of Fame royalty to NFL soap opera: The 49ers never-ending QB drama
By Marc Adams
1 min
"The 49ers were Camelot...and you know who Sir Lancelot was."
- Carmen Policy, at Joe Montana's retirement ceremony
It's a classic soap opera, one you can always count on to give you plenty of drama, complete with heroes, villains, and a plethora of twists and turns. No, I'm not talking about General Hospital. This show isn't taking place in a fictional city called Port Charles (don't ask how I know that name), but rather in the real-life Bay Area city known as Santa Clara.
Of course, I'm speaking about the quarterback theater of the San Francisco 49ers. It's a quarterback room that once boasted back-to-back Hall of Famers, followed by a 3-time Pro Bowler.
Seven 49ers free agents still searching for an NFL team
By David Bonilla
Mar 20
The first week of NFL free agency is in the books, and there has been a lot of movement made by the San Francisco 49ers. The team added defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, quarterback Sam Darnold, and others to the roster.
As is the case every year, departures are inevitable. Gone are some high-profile names like quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (Raiders) and tackle Mike McGlinchey (Broncos). Key players like cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (Lions) and offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill (Titans) have also found new NFL homes.
San Francisco has tendered a one-year deal to exclusive-rights free agent wide receiver Jauan Jennings. In addition, the following eight 49ers restricted or unrestricted free agents have returned to the team.
C Jake
