AUGUST 22: During a Thursday appearance on KNBR radio, Lynch noted the potential for CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase to further alter the receiver market on Cowboys and Bengals extensions, respectively (h/t Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). Each of those pacts will likely check in at a rate above $30MM per season, although Cincinnati appears to be willing to wait until 2025 in Chase’s case.
Further upward movement in the market would likely boost Aiyuk’s asking price, but meeting the 49ers’ goal of finalizing a pact would eliminate that possibility. With other big-ticket deals on the books (and another on the way in the form of Brock Purdy), Lynch confirmed the team’s other commitments is another factor complicating an Aiyuk deal. Efforts to keep him – not to mention Trent Williams – in the fold continue.
AUGUST 20: Brandon Aiyuk continues to drift farther away from the Steelers’ grasp. The would-be trade candidate went through another meeting with 49ers brass. The sides are making progress toward an extension, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.
This endless saga has produced multiple consequential meetings — a midsummer summit Aiyuk requested and an early-August powwow that seemed to come after a Steelers extension offer did not meet the receiver’s expectations — and this Monday effort can perhaps be added here. Aiyuk’s hold-in persists, but positive signs are emerging for the 49ers.
[RELATED: John Lynch Aiming For Aiyuk To Stay On Long-Term Deal]
Although the 49ers have trade parameters in place with the Steelers, they are believed to have upped their offer from where it was around notable meeting No. 1 ($26-$27MM per year). The sides are believed to be in agreement on the major deal points, but Schultz adds the minor details are going up to the ownership level. The 49ers have managed to strike late-summer deals with George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Bosa during the 2020s. While Bosa scored a defender-record contract, Aiyuk is driving a hard bargain in his own right. That led to the trade talks, though those have steadily dissipated.
It is worth wondering if the Bears’ recent D.J. Moore extension helped lock in a price point for the 49ers and Aiyuk. The Bears gave Moore a $27.5MM-per-year extension that included $82.6MM in total guarantees. While the former Panthers first-rounder has a longer track record of consistency, Aiyuk nearly topped Moore’s career-best receiving yardage total (1,364) on far fewer targets. Aiyuk, who is one year younger than Moore (at 26), reached 1,342 yards on just 105 targets. Moore is currently the NFL’s seventh-highest-paid receiver; it is difficult to envision this arduous Aiyuk process finalizing without the 49ers topping that.
Aiyuk’s efficient 2023 has prompted the 49ers wideout to seek terms near the top of the ballooning WR market. While Aiyuk has not been tied to an ask too close to Justin Jefferson‘s $35MM-per-year record number, he has sought an AAV around Amon-Ra St. Brown‘s $30.01MM mark and guarantees in A.J. Brown territory ($84MM).
The Steelers’ offer coming in below $28MM per year appears to have sent Aiyuk back to negotiating with the 49ers, who have reengaged in serious talks for several days now. Pittsburgh not including any veteran players in its proposal, thus not helping a 2024 49ers team aiming to complete its long-held championship pursuit under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, has hurt the AFC North team’s cause as well. But Aiyuk did not show much interest in joining the Patriots or Browns, leaving the Steelers as the alternative to a long-term 49ers future.
A league source recently expressed surprise (via veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson) that Aiyuk did not show interest in a Patriots offer believed to be worth up to $32MM per year and feature a strong Year 1 payout. The 49ers, however, feature a setup Aiyuk has proven he can thrive in, and the receiver appears to hold Mike Tomlin in high enough regard it is viewed as a drawing card for the fifth-year wideout. For now, an Aiyuk-to-Pittsburgh reality is losing steam fast — as the 49ers try to complete an extension they have been at work on for several months.
What the world needs now, is another Brandon Aiyuk update, like I need a hole in my head.
Prepare for about five more holes before opening day.
Who cares? This soap opera got boring long ago
Obviously you do or you wouldn’t be here
He was never in the Steelers grasp. He played the game very well and used all the leverage the 49ers gave him.
It’s been pretty obvious that had he wanted to be a Steeler he would have been a week or 2 ago.
Congrats BA. Hope you get plenty in guarantees.
Well it was also reported that the Steelers offer to BA was less than he wanted…
SF should match what PITTS offered. I wouldn’t compare Aiyuk to Moore either, as Moore performed on really bad offenses. If Aiyuk doesn’t accept the match, then be done with this.
If SF only matches the Steelers offer then BA ends up making less money due to taxes.
You’re spot on correct @TJECK109
If we are talking 28-30m the difference between taxes in California compared to Pennsylvania would cost Aiyuk roughly 3mil a year.
So, if everything is equal, in order for the 49ers to actually match Pittsburgh’s offer of let’s say 28m, then the 49ers would need to offer Aiyuk roughly a little over 30mil.
In order to make up for that difference, the 49ers do have other options. They could include more guarantees, if they didn’t want to up the average yearly salary, or they could offer him bonus incentives, etc.
There’s plenty of ways in order to get around that, but Aiyuk and his agent know SF has to offer more in order for their offer to technically match the Steelers offer.
I think it is ultimately going to get done, but I just hope all this last minute negotiating doesn’t cost BA his season. It’s important to get time to ramp up for the season, because your body needs to adjust and it needs to take some hits. If you don’t, typically you will see guys go down early with some kind of soft tissue injury and/or they strain or pull their hamstring or an oblique and those injuries if not properly healed can be a reoccurring issue. That has happened to several players that have missed offseason workouts, TC, and the pre-season, and it typically ends up putting a damper on their entire season. It just ends up being one injury after another, or the same injury continues to get aggrivated over and over again.
The player always wants to go put and prove he’s worth his new deal, but coming back too soon usually leads to that player basically wasting a year of their prime on the bench and in rehab.
O hope this isn’t the case for Aiyuk or Trent Williams. Both guys are so important to how this team and their offensive scheme is ran. Their availability and their health is 1,000% pivotal towards the 49ers achieving their goals of winning a Super Bowl. They’re one of the top contenders in the NFC with them, but especially without Big Trent, not having him significantly hurts their odds..
And I’m taking from your post that you either are a 49r scout 49r fan or just a TROLL. Who posts as much garbage as these posts about Ayuke.
My god why so many freaking updates on one player. No one cares yet you run updates three times a day for weeks. Is there really so little going on even during preseason camps and games. Please stop.
Skip over it then. You cared enough click in and comment.
Lots of people care. This has gambling and fantasy implications, not to mention two of the most storied franchises with very large national fan bases being involved. I’m sorry you are inconvenienced, but maybe just not click and not comment on it?
I’m sorry someone forced you at gunpoint to read another Brandon Aiyuk article. In the good old days we could just skip articles we didn’t care about.
I have to admit…
I am glad it’s not Tommy Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Patty Maholmes, Travis Kelce, or Taylor Swift.
Whoever signs him, be ready to go through all this again as soon a somebody else signs a better contract…
Filed under “completely impossible things that would make life more interesting:” make all NFL contracts fully guaranteed with a max length of one year! Imagine the mayhem…
He isn’t a free agent, nobody is signing him
The 49ers will bust either way. But 28mm will be the number. He is talented at nothing above that. If I were him. I’d do a 2 year 60mm or as close as possible. Bet on yourself. But you better produce. Hard to produce with rb1 and Debo trade bait. Which would obviously pay out huge year 2. Being wr1 with Debo gone and rb out of prime years.
I had an aneurysm trying to understand that
Can’t argue TLC. That was kinda brutal. The more Aiyuk stories apparently lead to aneurysms. lol. Rex Mundy is writing in code??
That had to be AI.
Enough already
I love watching how much SF has to overpay this mediocre receiver. They’re so screwed once Purdy gets paid haha
Yeah, an all pro gotta be overrated
On every team there is at least 1 that puts “pay me” before team. He has dicked around for just 1- 5 million more over and beyond close to 90 Million dollar extension. Lead the 49’ers on, then let the Patriots & Browns attempt to make a trade that he ultimately denied and knew he was before there offer. Which shows the quality of his character. Let them put the time in and all the expenses to try and make a deal with him when he already knew he wouldn’t sign with them! Lastly played the Steelers the whole time leading them on he would agree with trade and contract extension and then turns back on them. And the latest is the POS is back at negotiating with who he should have stayed committed and tried to come to terms with originally. So unfortunately I will enjoy his early season ending injury cause instead of getting ready for the new year he decided to waste so many people’s time and organizations money only because there is no “We in I” and that is the Character that is best described for Aiydik! Selfish, no respect for anyone except himself and unfortunately by the time this happens and he realizes it’s more important to show his ass getting in shape than just showing your an ASS! Ironic thing is this lil ride thru NFL free agency and game playing is only gonna hurt SF. After giving Aiydik the money he wants and only to see it wasted when he gets hurt from sitting in and not setting out to practice and get in game shape for GAME DAY! But hey let the players control the league since owners and GM’s now just give him what he wants no matter how bad it’s gonna hurt us in the future! Sign hom SF!! Fruck!
And I’m taking from your post that you either are a 49r scout 49r fan or just a TROLL. Who posts as much garbage as these posts about Ayuke.
How dim do you have to be to not understand that there is not much pro football news in the middle of the summer and yet you still regularly visit a pro football news site in the middle of the summer and then complain about the factual reality that there is not much pro football news in the middle of the summer?
And then to get angry or indignant about it?
Trent Williams is actually the more critical signing – as the 49ers are 3-6 in games where he does not play.
I get that Aiyuk admires Tomlin and said so. Great. But from an outsider’s perspective, it sure seems like he used it as leverage. Nothing more
I generally think most coaches are average. A couple are great. A few are overmatched. I have no feelings about Tomlin one way or the other. To me, he’s great with motivational speaking. But besides a few dollars more, why come here and leave a team looking to win and one that makes moves to that end every year? Defies logic.
Hard to see the Steelers being a serious contender anytime soon
Yaaaaaaawn….
lol. goat
Give him what he wants: ship him to Pittsburgh
… then comp him tickets if you make it to the Super Bowl
What would be poetic justice for the Steelers would be to wait this long and suddenly Aiyuk ok’d an 11th hour trade to Cleveland. I continue to be embarrassed that the Steelers are a part of this conversation. You can smell the desperation. Traded Diontae without having a plan in place and now this
Stop letting this turd continue to swim around the bowl, just pull the lever and flush him down.
Ownership should NOT be forcing this doofus on the coaching staff. If I was the coach he wouldn’t get a touch all season and he’d be out there blocking for Mcaffrey instead of catching anything.
Please stop we beg you. No one cares about aiyuk as much you do. Run an article when he signs. We don’t need to waste space letting us know nothing over and over. The work on here has really gone downhill yet you can’t even be bothered to have chats.
Yet here you are. Start your own site where you can write about whatever you want and go away.
Yes who gives a dam anymore. As The Aiyuk Apuke World Turns.
That’s a hot off the press update. Thanks Lynch for clearing up the situation
They should just trade him.