San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is seeking a contract extension. The two sides have yet to make much progress. As a result, he has not shown up for the team’s mandatory minicamp, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL media.
This is not just like missing organized team activities. Those are voluntary. For Aiyuk to miss minicamp, which players are expected to attend, you know things have gotten serious.
Obviously, this isn’t the greatest sign for the 49ers.
Aiyuk is preparing to enter the final year of his deal, but due to financial constraints, San Francisco is going to have difficulty giving him what he wants.
Brandon Aiyuk May Need a Bit of a Reality Check
Here is the thing, though: Aiyuk is not Justin Jefferson. He isn’t CeeDee Lamb (who is also holding out). He isn’t A.J. Brown, either.
He is a very good receiver. He is a clear No. 1. But he isn’t quite at that very elite level yet. At least not so much where he should get paid on the same level as Jefferson and Brown, who landed deals that will pay them $35 and $32 million annually, respectively.
Now, to be fair to Aiyuk, we have no idea how much money he wants. He never said he wants Justin Jefferson money or A.J. Brown money. But you have to think that he at least wants something similar to what those two wide outs have gotten.
Aiyuk has made it abundantly clear that he isn’t about to take any hometown discount from San Francisco. He wants to get paid, and he doesn’t care who pays him. He just wants to get compensated.
That’s definitely understandable. Aiyuk has earned his keep in the NFL. He has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns, most recently racking up 1,342 yards in 2023. He also played a pivotal role in the Niners reaching the Super Bowl this past season.
But if Aiyuk really wants to win long term, he should also take into account that he is playing for arguably the most loaded roster in the NFL and may have to take a slight pay cut. At least in terms of what he likely feels he is wort.
Put it this way: the Detroit Lions just gave Amon-Ra St. Brown $30 million per year. Is Aiyuk even as good as St. Brown? It’s debatable, but probably not. That means Aiyuk really shouldn’t be looking to make any more than $30 million annually, but chances are, he is looking to top that number.
The 49ers are already paying Deebo Samuel through 2025. They made Nick Bosa the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. Brock Purdy becomes eligible for an extension next offseason.
Essentially, San Francisco is very strapped for cash, and while it certainly wants to retain Aiyuk, it will be difficult if he holds such a hard line.
Aiyuk needs to determine what is important to him. Becoming paid like Jefferson or Brown, or still making very good money while also regularly contending for championships.
If it’s the former, Aiyuk’s future is probably not in San Francisco. Sure, there would probably be some other teams willing to pay him that money. But will those clubs be Super Bowl contenders? Probably not.
The Niners are trying to do whatever it takes to keep Brandon Aiyuk, but if he ends up thinking he is on the same level as Jefferson, things could become very problematic moving forward…if they haven’t already.
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