SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As he awaits his long-coveted payday, San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk has tried a number of strategies to coax the staff into getting a deal accomplished this offseason. All through that point, Aiyuk declined to ask for a commerce. Till Tuesday.
Because the Niners put together to report for coaching camp subsequent week, Aiyuk formally requested a commerce, sources confirmed to ESPN. The edges have been discussing the parameters of a big-money extension since March however have but to search out widespread floor as different star wideouts across the league have cashed in and pushed Aiyuk’s worth increased.
Aiyuk, 26, has one 12 months remaining on his rookie contract, the fifth-year possibility that’s set to pay him $14.124 million for this season. He’s searching for an extension that may roughly double that worth within the type of common annual wage.
The Niners, in the meantime, have lengthy deliberate to re-sign Aiyuk with the intention of protecting him round as a franchise point of interest.
If Aiyuk stays this season, the Niners would return all 11 offensive starters from a bunch that completed first in offensive factors per recreation (28.4), offensive effectivity (76.02) and offensive anticipated factors added (148.06) and second in yards per recreation (398.4) in 2023.
Aiyuk, in fact, performed a important function in that manufacturing, main San Francisco in receiving for the second straight 12 months, posting a profession excessive in receiving yards (1,342) and main the league in yards per goal (12.9) whereas ending second in yards per catch (17.9).
There is no official deadline for the Niners and Aiyuk to strike a deal, however with coaching camp and the common season looming, there are at the least some unofficial benchmarks for one thing to be labored out.
Here is a take a look at what all of it means.
Why is Aiyuk requesting a commerce, and can the 49ers think about it?
Merely put: Aiyuk desires to receives a commission as one of many high receivers within the NFL. This offseason alone has seen star wideouts similar to Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, Philadelphia’s DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, Miami’s Jaylen Waddle, and Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown signal profitable contract extensions. St. Brown, Brown and Jefferson all signed offers that common at the least $30 million per season.
Whereas these offers have been getting accomplished, Aiyuk has been impatiently ready for a deal of his personal. Which is why he has used social media to voice his displeasure with the staff, whether or not within the type of emoji on Instagram or TikTok movies of him and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels during which he says the Niners informed him they do not need him.
Aiyuk has additionally acknowledged that he has used these means as a approach to apply stress to the Niners to get a deal accomplished prior to later. He additionally has stated on the file that he expects to be a Niner in 2024 and even texted coach Kyle Shanahan and basic supervisor John Lynch on draft evening to go with the selection of first-round receiver Ricky Pearsall.
By all of that, the Niners have remained steadfast that they haven’t any want to commerce Aiyuk. Tuesday’s commerce request did nothing to alter their thoughts on that entrance, both. Not solely do the Niners think about Aiyuk a foundational participant, however additionally they have their sights set on making an attempt to interrupt by and win a Tremendous Bowl this 12 months.
Buying and selling Aiyuk in July for 2025 draft picks that would not be capable of assist in that mission would make little sense. It is why the Niners have refused to interact in commerce discussions with groups reaching out about Aiyuk. Maybe a staff providing a difference-making participant in change for Aiyuk would change the Niners’ stance, however such trades are uncommon within the NFL and are much more unlikely right now of 12 months.
May the Niners nonetheless re-sign Aiyuk?
Completely. Unusual as it would sound given the commerce request, that also looks like the most probably consequence. Prior to now 5 years, the Niners have had two gamers request trades solely to re-sign with the staff quickly after.
Wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. requested for a commerce in spring 2022 solely to signal a three-year deal price as much as $73.5 million in late July. Kicker Robbie Gould requested out in April 2019 and likewise re-signed in July.
What’s extra, the 49ers have a good longer observe file of getting offers accomplished with their star gamers late in the summertime. Though on this case ready might need pushed the worth of protecting Aiyuk up, that has merely been how the Niners want to do enterprise.
To wit, listed below are the dates when different star gamers agreed to phrases on their extensions lately:
Bosa’s deal took till proper up earlier than the beginning of the common season. If Aiyuk hasn’t been signed by then, maybe the dialog will change.
What’s subsequent for Aiyuk?
The Niners report back to coaching camp Tuesday, with the primary on-field exercise set for the following day. Aiyuk may maintain out, as he did throughout the staff’s obligatory minicamp in June. If he does, he could be topic to fines of as much as $50,000 per missed observe throughout camp. However not like the greater than $101,000 in fines he accrued for lacking minicamp, Aiyuk may have any coaching camp fines forgiven as a result of he is nonetheless on his rookie contract. The Niners did that for Bosa when he re-signed final September.
Aiyuk may additionally observe within the footsteps of Samuel and “maintain in” whereas his representatives work to hammer out a deal. That may imply Aiyuk would report for camp and participate in conferences however not actively take part in practices. Samuel principally did conditioning on a aspect area till his deal was accomplished.
If Aiyuk does not get a brand new deal or is traded, he may play out this season earlier than doubtlessly changing into an unrestricted free agent in 2025. However the Niners would nonetheless have a say in that as Aiyuk could be a major candidate for a franchise tag, a state of affairs each side would like to keep away from.
What does this imply for Samuel’s future with the 49ers?
All indicators level to Samuel taking part in out this season on his present contract after which leaving the Niners to resolve on his future within the offseason. That might change if San Francisco struggles within the first a part of the 12 months and will get good commerce provides on the deadline. Wanting that, the Niners know they’re a greater staff in 2024 if each Samuel and Aiyuk are taking part in for them.
Samuel has no extra assured cash in his deal after this season, though there could be a $15.1 million useless cash cost if the Niners reduce or traded him earlier than June 1, 2025. That transfer would additionally save $9.1 million in opposition to the 2025 cap.
Like Aiyuk, Samuel heard loads of commerce rumors involving him round this 12 months’s draft, though he did not appear too involved about that or in regards to the hypothesis about his standing past this season.
“On the finish of the day, the contract was signed,” Samuel stated in June. “I do know what I signed up for, and we simply targeted on this 12 months.”
If the Niners cannot re-sign Aiyuk, the probabilities of Samuel sticking round would improve, though he’d even be in line for an extension subsequent offseason to decrease his 2025 projected cap variety of $24.2 million.
Is there a state of affairs during which each Samuel and Aiyuk stay on the Niners in 2025? Nothing is unimaginable, however it might additionally seemingly require an extension for Samuel that could be tough to drag off as a result of the Niners have so many different key gamers awaiting new offers, together with one that would dramatically alter their wage cap image for years to come back.
No future contract negotiation looms bigger than what is probably going coming subsequent offseason for Brock Purdy. The QB is coming off a 2023 during which he set a franchise file for passing yards (4,280), turned the primary Niners quarterback since Jeff Garcia in 2001 to throw for 30-plus touchdowns and earned his first Professional Bowl nod.
If Purdy can submit one other season just like that and even higher, he is poised to money in on a contract that ought to pay him greater than $45 million per season. It might symbolize one of many largest raises in NFL historical past as Purdy is about to make a base wage of $985,000 in 2024. The 49ers have already begun making ready for a Purdy payday, which can nearly definitely take priority over another offseason enterprise in 2025.