The 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk remain in a stalemate over the wide receiver’s contract demands. With training camp rapidly approaching, the wideout is attempting to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. ESPN’s Ryan Clark reported today that Aiyuk requested a meeting with the organization to hammer out some kind of resolution.
With Aiyuk currently set to hit free agency following the 2024 campaign, both sides have expressed interest in a long-term arrangement. The former first-round pick is focused on joining the several wideouts who helped to reset the positional market this offseason, but it sounds like the 49ers are resistant about reaching some of those benchmarks.
“…[H]e said that he’s taking these negotiations personal,” Clark said on NFL Live (via Cam Inman of The Mercury News). “That the way that they have negotiated with him, the way that they have told him why he’s worth what he’s worth, it has touched him.”
Aiyuk was an unsurprising no-show at San Francisco’s voluntary offseason program, but he’s now facing fines after also skipping mandatory minicamp. The fines will start piling up if the receiver refuses to attend training camp, although it’s uncertain how far Aiyuk is willing to take this stare down.
The wideout is set to play this upcoming season on his $14.12MM fifth-year option. While the 49ers have continually stated their desire to retain Aiyuk long-term, the team faces an untenable financial situation after having extended Deebo Samuel last offseason. The team is currently projected to be more than $38MM over the cap next season, making a lucrative Aiyuk extension (or even the impending franchise tag) a difficult proposition.
The 49ers likely read the tea leafs regarding Aiyuk’s upcoming demands, explaining why he was reportedly on the trade block earlier this offseason. In the likely event that this latest meeting doesn’t lead to an extension, perhaps the front office once again explores those trade fronts. More likely, the impasse will continue until at least late-July when players arrive for training camp.
I’m gonna say it again. If Aiyuk is truly available, the Steelers’ Khan should bend over backwards to get him here. Pay the price. Pay the player. Get to work
Why?
They just drafted a dude in the 3rd round who’s just as capable
And have a 2nd round pick from a few years ago who they should throw to 94% of the time even if he’s triple covered.
Aiyuk would probably be pretty good in Pittsburgh, and would probably mesh well with Wilson’s style, but would it be worth the trade and then the deal? If that happens, you have to assume that Wilson doesn’t earn a second contract, which wouldn’t be shocking given his age (even if he does play well). You could afford Aiyuk then, but Pickens would need a new deal soon after, and there will probably be one or two other impact players who could be in the same boat in that time.
Pittsburgh could end up in a similar position to San Fran in having to evaluate between two big money contracts at receiver and a big money on defense. If they have a rookie QB by that point, which is likely, that would alleviate much of the burden, as San Fran is having to plan for that contract as well. At tge end of the day, is Aiyuk worth whatever it takes to pry him away (presumably an upper level pick at least), plus the money that it would take to sign him?
I’m not convinced Pickens, although a great player, can adapt to being a number one. The double teams, the failure to get a lot of balls thrown his way…I dunno. Given his personality this far, you’d hope he matures into the role. But magnify the above with the idea that there is no viable number 2 here and the passing game becomes a real question mark
I like the kid from Michigan but he’s the great unknown right now. I like Austin but he’s only shown some flashes
As far as the money goes, yeah, I get it. It’s the reality of things. But if other teams make things fit, I’d hope the Steelers could, too
I just think Aiyuk is a fantastic talent that not only would fit but would complete the offensive rebuild here.
I’ll say no because Wilson will be a game managing QB, not a game changer. He cant scramble like he used to, but he’s savvy enough to keep drives going, which their last QBs couldn’t do. PITTS has the D and a quality HC to get them to the playoffs. Overpaying Aiyuk doesnt fit their model. They’re going to run the ball, not turn it over, and maybe squeeze out Ws in tight games like they did last year. KC didn’t win with great WRs, neither did BALT.
Exactly. They’re going to run the ball from 2 TE power sets.
Got Pickens and Austin for when they want to throw deep , and Roman and Muth for the stuff underneath.
Aiyuk is a luxory for them and an insanely expensive one at that.
The smart move would be instead of trading a late 1st for a guy due a payday, draft the next Aiyuk late 1st next year and not have to pay 100 mil to.
*Aiyuk went 25th overall in 2020
And I’ll add that maybe they don’t even have to draft anyone because Roman Wilson has been compared to Hines Ward, and let’s just say he was drafted by the perfect franchise
I think GB would be a good spot for Aiyuk, if they have the cap space.
Money MONEY money money….MUH-NEHHHHHH
The 49ers pay the QB next to nothing they allow key guys on defense leave. They have zero sense of urgency to try and win another SB. They can be so cheap to some guys and over pay some like McCaffrey
You clearly have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
Lmao @sn33
How you going to pay him dude ? Purdy is coming up too
Because Purdy still will be on a 1.1 million dollar cap hit next year so his extension won’t even kick in until 2026 and they have all kinds of cap room then.
While I am sure they could pay him but then you would have 2 wrs at top dollar , your rb at top dollar , you have Purdy coming up and you are looking at 4 or 5 people taking up half your cap. It doesn’t seem like the best way to do business imo.
A lot will depend on Trent Williams if he retires or not. They have never touched his deal with a restructure yet but that has to happen next year if he doesn’t retire. Lynch has done a good job at moving money around to keep the team in a good place and I don’t see how this fails the way he has been doing it.
The fact that all these deals have been every year is part of the reason they have been in a good cap space. Look at what the Rams did. They gave Stafford, Donald and Kupp all mega deals at the same time and they took up a ton of cap space. Thats why they fell into cap hell and are just about out of it. They have not signed 1 big name FA since they won the SB. I’m trusting Lynch will find a way to get it all done.
Weren’t they just in the Superbowl?
CMC overpaid? WTF is that about? Dude, if your gonna comment, please try to make SOME sense?
11 year olds don’t belong here please go play with your friend
Demand a trade to the Steelers!
Update #5 in the past month. There will be another update tomorrow right? 🙂
How about you just play out the contract you signed.
He’s under contract for up to 3 more years. He doesn’t have any leverage. Time to put on your uniform and show up for work. He’s not getting paid like a top WR because he’s not a top WR. He’s surrounded by all-pros and is the 3-4th option on offense. I like Aiyuk but this is getting ridiculous.
Aiyuk is not under contract after this year. He is playing 2024 under the 5th year team option available for his rookie contract. He should take the 49ers standing offer of $26 million/yr, as he won’t get that kind of money from someone else (or have as good a chance at a Super Bowl appearance).
I think he’s talking franchise tags for the extra years
$26M a year is pretty good for Aiyuk. He’s a good player in a good system with other good players. Put him on NE for example and see how well he does.
Actually, he is a top 10 WR. Look at his stats compared to the targets he gets to other people. I wouldn’t pay him 30+ million a year but I would offer more towards 28 million then 26. See if he will meet in the middle.
Because not extending a player you value before his 5th year option is considered an insult. Aiyuk is underpaid. Players who earn a 2nd contract deserve to get their market value. They can get a career ending injury any game.
The problem is when all agree he should get paid but most people will not feel sorry for a guy who is butthurt over being offered 26-27 million a year to stay on a Super Bowl team rather than getting 30 million to make his ego happy. That extra 2 million will not change the way he will live. It’s not like a person is trying to go from $50,000 a year salary to $80,000.
The reason why the owners are discussing a QB salary cap? They realize that money is ruining pro sports and they, along with the players are slowly killing it.
Exactly and have some respect for the people that pushed him hard and made him great!
As a steelers fan I want nothing to do with this.
Money should be spent on important positions. There’s hundreds of guys who can run and catch in the right system with the right QB
There’s certain guys like AJ Brown who truly make a difference, but wouldn’t put Aiyuk in that category
what are the chances this guy isn’t as nearly as good as he thinks he is?
That doesn’t happen in sports.
Personally, I’d like D.K. Metcalfe as the ultimate weapon but I’m not hearing the Seahawks are looking to unload him
Guys like Jefferson and Aiyuk are game changers. You say, “Money should be spent on important positions”. I suspect that if the Steelers don’t bring in Aiyuk or someone of his caliber, your views about having a true number one receiver are going to change
Pickens already on the team
Pickens & Roman slightly comparable to JJ & Addison.
And while I’d obviously take JJ & Addison over them , I’d take the rest of the Steelers roster over the Vikings roster… well pretty blatantly.
LMAO you are drastically overestimating Wilson’s value/talent.
Mid round WR drafted to the steelers.
History has treated those guys well
I can understand that he thinks he is underpaid and he would like the security that will come with his next contract however playing a game and only making 14.1 million dollars this season doesn’t really generate a whole lot of sympathy. Anybody could take that kind of money and turn it into generational wealth.
Contracts are only as good as the guaranteed money because everything else is just fluff.
I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care about your sympathy or anyone else’s. It’s a business. His market value is more than he is currently making and its common practice to extend guys in this scenario. The only reason the ‘9ers haven’t is that they don’t have the money the next couple years to do so without making another move (ie. trading Deebo).
You don’t need to feel any sympathy for him, but lets not act like he’s off his rocker here.
It’s all over the news here, both sports talk and regular local, that there have been talks with the Commanders and 49ers about Brandon Aiyuk.
Brandon Aiyuk and Jayden Daniels are former teammates and personal friends. The Commanders are on the fence with Jahan Dotson. Adam Schefter has also reported that the Commanders are not willing to pay the current price to trade for Brandon Aiyuk.
Take it for what it is?
“His market value is more than he is currently making”
And if he just plays out the last year of the contract that he signed, he will have a chance to make more than his value.
Dude is going to handle this situation into a one way ticket to Carolina lol
Aiyuk is a good WR, but he is part of a system that MAKES him that good WR. Another commenter hit the nail on the head saying put him on NE or CAR and see what his numbers look like. He needs to realize that other teams aren’t going to give up a ton of great draft capital, and then turn around and pay him top-of-the-market money and destroy their cap. Sounds like this kids a little big for his britches!
On another team he would have bigger numbers , much bigger numbers! Maybe not Carolina cause Young is a bust! BUST
Put Tyreek Hill on another team like NE without a proven QB and see what happens. Put Josh Allen on Carolina and see what happens. You can to this to any player in the league. The “what if” game is stupid because its what you say when you have zero argument.
How about giving Aiyuk another 30-40 targets like everybody else got and see what happens to his number. Play the “What if ” game!!
His “system” actually holds him back. The 49ers ranked 27th in total plays last year. They threw it 491 times (32nd in the NFL) and ran it 499 times (7th in the NFL). He is being a head case about his contract, but he isn’t “a little big for his britches.”
I love Aiyuk as a 49er fan but we can’t pay Deebo and Kittle and CMC and Purdy and BA big money and still be competitive. We drafted Pearson and Cowell who I think could end up better than Aiyuk, one of them will be better! Just trade him for a second and third and just take the hit now before he walks for nothing next year. He’s a diva anyway , every fight we have ever had was started by Aiyuk. ✌️
If Juan Jennings had more opportunities he could end up better he definitely has the heart I know that!
I keep hearing commanders. If they truly want him, what about him for scary Terry? I know the dead cap would be big, but they got the space. That’s about the likelihood of the niners trading him
Why would the Commies want to give up a workman like Pro Bowler who is team first for a Stefan Diggs/Antonio Brown style diva?
Yes, the Redskins/Commies have done a lot of stupid things over the years, but now would be a good time to stop no?