Brandon Aiyuk reignited San Francisco 49ers chatter this week by posting a video of himself speaking with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, his former Arizona State teammate.
"They said they don't want me back ... I swear," Aiyuk told Daniels.
The reaction to this video was significant. Aiyuk and the 49ers have been engaged in contract extension negotiations, with recent reports indicating that the two sides remain at a stalemate. Sending a strong signal to his team, Aiyuk skipped the mandatory minicamp earlier this month, closing out the offseason program.
The emergence of Aiyuk's video sparked speculation. What prompted the wideout to say that to Daniels, and are the 49ers more willing to trade their star player?
"There's a lot of noise out there (most of it uninformed) about the San Francisco 49ers' position on receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and the possibility that things are devolving to the point where the second-team All-Pro could be traded. I wouldn't listen to that. Not, yet, at least," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote.
Aiyuk is scheduled to earn $14.124 million on a team-exercised fifth-year option. However, he likely seeks more than twice that amount annually from a long-term deal, in line with recent contracts handed out to top NFL receivers.
Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that the 49ers' latest offer was in the range of $26 million annually, which is unlikely enough to get a deal done.
"It's short of where Jaylen Waddle and Amon-Ra St. Brown are (around $28 million APY) and, of course, a far cry from Justin Jefferson territory," Breer continued. "But it's close enough to the first two guys to think there's a deal to be done."
Breer notes that the fifth-year option could come into play for the 49ers and Aiyuk based on other recent deals. The 49ers could introduce $60 million of new money for the receiver early in a contract.
"In the case of Aiyuk, with $14.124 million locked in for this year, that'd mean $75 million over the first three years of a new contract, folding that fifth-year option in," Breer explained.
Breer believes that Aiyuk's play in recent years aligns better with Waddle's deal than something in the neighborhood of Jefferson's $35 million annually. As long as Aiyuk understands that, the two sides can likely reach an agreement.
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