Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel? Mike Silver on the 49ers’ future at WR

Last year, the San Francisco 49ers paid big bucks to make one star wide receiver, Deebo Samuel, happy. The team handed him a three-year extension worth over $70 million, keeping the wideout under contract through the 2025 season. Will he see all of that money from the 49ers, though?

San Francisco also has another productive receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, in line for a big payday. The team will undoubtedly use their fifth-year option on the 25-year-old, locking him in through the 2024 season. But he'll be looking for an extension.

What does that mean for 2025 and beyond? Will both players be on the roster that season, eating up a healthy chunk of the 49ers' salary cap? Or will a decision be made before then, keeping one long-term and seeing what can be had for the other?

While discussing the likelihood of utilizing the fifth-year option on Aiyuk, general manager John Lynch, speaking with reporters at the NFL owners' meetings last month, said other teams have asked about the receiver.

"It's interesting when you're at these league functions, ownership meetings, combine, a lot of people ask about him," Lynch said. "They really appreciate his game, and they see it ascending."

While Samuel had a breakout season in 2021, amassing 1,770 total yards and 14 total touchdowns, his 2022 campaign was more subdued. The receiver caught 56 passes for 632 yards and two receiving touchdowns while rushing for 232 yards and three scores, a far cry from his numbers a year earlier.

Plus, one could argue that running back Christian McCaffrey fills the role of a do-everything offensive weapon for the 49ers.

Is Samuel a shoo-in to be San Francisco's long-term answer for a No. 1 receiver? Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle isn't assuming that to be true. He points out the 49ers have already paid big bucks at several other positions and have a big Nick Bosa contract on the horizon, making it tough to keep both Samuel and Aiyuk.

"You would probably be able to make the case that you shouldn't pay two receivers at that level if neither of them is a traditional one," Silver said on the 49ers Webzone No Huddle Podcast, defining a "traditional one" as a Julio Jones "in his prime" type of player.

Samuel gave opposing defenses headaches in 2021, prompting the 49ers to pay the then-disgruntled receiver like an elite player at the position. Aiyuk showed growth this past season, earning his first 1,000-yard campaign while making eight trips into the end zone. His yardage total has improved in each of his three seasons.

What do NFL teams want in number-one wideouts?

"A big, tall, exceptionally fast guy who could go on the outside and just destroy people in any offense," Silver shared. "So if you think of it that way, you'd say, 'Well, we're only going to pay one.' Now, that doesn't necessarily mean it's not Aiyuk because what you could do is get through this season, assuming Aiyuk is going to come in and put his head down and play. And then after the year, assess and say, 'Hey, we want to pay him now, and we'll eat the rest on Deebo and try to get what we can for him.'

"That seems crazy because so much of their identity, let alone that versatility, is tied up in Deebo. On the other hand, they haven't been thrilled at times with the shape that he's been in. He's obviously experienced a lot of wear and tear. They've obviously had their clashes, most notably last offseason, and we'll have to see how each guy performs this year, depending on who the quarterback is [and] how it goes.

"So I do think it's possible that they could arrive at a point where they say, 'We're only going to pay one of those two.' I'm not positive that it wouldn't be Aiyuk, though, a year from now."

You can listen to the entire conversation with Silver below.