Last week, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk briefly discussed the situation between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, who is eligible for a contract extension. While Aiyuk is currently under contract through the 2024 season, with the team having the option to utilize the franchise tag to retain him for an additional two years, the star receiver is unlikely to retake the football field without a new deal in place.
Aiyuk is set to earn $14.124 million this year if he decides to play on the team-exercised fifth-year option. That's also his salary cap hit for the upcoming season. San Francisco can lower that number with a new contract, reducing his base salary in 2024 and spreading his signing bonus through the length of the deal (or beyond).
"If I'm Brandon Aiyuk, I'm not inclined to set foot on a football field this year until I get my contract," Florio stated.
The Pro Football Talk writer doesn't necessarily believe Aiyuk should become the NFL's highest-paid receiver. It's worth noting that there haven't been any reports that Aiyuk is seeking that much money.
"Thirty to 32 million, I don't know about that," Florio said before noting that productive receivers are becoming more commonplace in the NFL. "... I don't think Brandon Aiyuk can get to 30, at least not now. And there's value to him in letting [Vikings WR] Justin Jefferson and [Bengals WR] Ja'Marr Chase set the next bar, and then you try to come in somewhere under it."
Florio speculates that the 49ers may prefer to wait a year before signing Aiyuk to a new contract. Last month at the NFL Scouting Combine, general manager John Lynch stated that while the team is actively negotiating with Aiyuk's representatives, it is content with allowing the receiver to play on the fifth-year option.
When asked if Aiyuk would be open to that scenario, Lynch responded, "We'll see. You'd have to ask him that."
Florio continued, "I think the Vikings, as much as they want to pay Justin Jefferson, I think the 49ers want to wait a year and then pay Brandon Aiyuk. But they don't want to do it now. They may have to go ahead and do it now because he's clearly not thrilled with the current state of affairs."
Waiting a year makes little sense if the 49ers intend to keep Aiyuk around for the foreseeable future. Another big season from the receiver will only increase his price in 2025.
It's also worth noting that quarterback Brock Purdy is on deck. His contract situation will be a significant storyline next offseason. It seems unlikely that the team would want to mix in negotiations with a disgruntled wide receiver while in talks with Purdy, who is set to become the team's highest-paid player.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, head coach Kyle Shanahan stressed the importance of keeping Aiyuk and Purdy together. The two have developed good on-field chemistry, evident by career years for both players last season, with Aiyuk amassing a team-leading 1,342 receiving yards and Purdy throwing a single-season franchise record 4,280 passing yards.
"I mean, it's hard to be successful at quarterback if you don't have real good receivers," Shanahan said. "So it starts there with Brandon, and I think that's real big for Brock in his future, making sure we got a good group for him going forward."