The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk seem far apart in their contract extension negotiations. Aiyuk often works with TJ Houshmandzadeh during the offseason, and the former NFL wide receiver joined Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game this week to provide an update on the situation (h/t Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area).
The Minnesota Vikings recently signed their star wideout, Justin Jefferson, to a deal worth up to $35 million annually. However, Houshmandzadeh acknowledges that Aiyuk should not expect to earn anything near that range. This deal is unlikely to impact Aiyuk's contract negotiations. It's just a poor comparison.
Instead, Houshmandzadeh compares Aiyuk to Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who recently earned a deal averaging around $30 million annually. However, the former NFL player doesn't believe the 49ers are willing to approach that number either. Houshmandzadeh stated that if San Francisco offered Aiyuk a deal similar to St. Brown's, Aiyuk would "be in there tomorrow."
Houshmandzadeh mentioned that he hasn't had an opportunity to work with Aiyuk this offseason but plans to in the coming weeks. The two haven't gotten together yet because Aiyuk thought signing a new deal might be imminent.
"At one point, he thought he may sign," Houshmandzadeh said. "So it was like, 'I'm not gonna come out because I might have to go when I sign.' And so that optimistic outlook has turned into a pessimistic outlook now. Like, damn, at one point he thought, 'Hey, I might be leaving soon.' So now, it's like, 'I have no idea.'"
Houshmandzadeh adds that Aiyuk was more optimistic about a month and a half ago as he watched other wide receivers get new deals and felt that would help the negotiation process. It hasn't, leaving Aiyuk uncertain about the eventual outcome.
Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle recently stated that he's heard the 49ers' offer is in the $26 million annually range, which obviously hasn't been enough to close the deal.
Teammate Deebo Samuel, having gone through the negotiation process two years ago, admits that he's offered Aiyuk whatever advice he can.
"At the end of the day, you want to get what you deserve," Samuel told reporters this week. "And at the end of the day, you hope it happens, but it's not going to happen in the timely manner that you want it to happen. It's just a waiting game, and in this situation, you just let his agent communicate with them, and they communicate back, and it's just a back and forth for a long time."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Houshmandzadeh below.
