49ers Rumors

Brandon Aiyuk‘s 49ers impasse has veered closer to the arc Deebo Samuel‘s traversed two years ago. The younger San Francisco receiver standout has now requested a trade and begun a hold-in effort, mirroring where Samuel’s saga went in 2022.

The fifth-year wideout stood on the sideline and watched practice Wednesday, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. John Lynch had said he expected everyone to practice, pointing to the Aiyuk matter taking this logical next step. Samuel held in for a few days two years ago but landed an extension. Aiyuk’s talks have continued to reveal a value gap, with his trade request emerging much later in the offseason compared to Samuel’s.

[RELATED: At Least Five Teams Interested In Aiyuk]

But the 49ers’ leading wide receiver from last season is at training camp, avoiding fines. Since the 2020 CBA made holdouts harder to stage, players have gotten around that language by showing up and not participating. The 49ers have now seen Samuel and Aiyuk hold in and Nick Bosa stage a true holdout, one that did not end until days before last season began.

Samuel signed his three-year, $71.55MM extension on July 31, 2022. Both he and D.K. Metcalf held in that year, with each seeing three-year deals to wrap those short periods. Aiyuk, 26, has been tied to wanting far more. The 49ers have identified a $26-$27MM-per-year price range, and Aiyuk has been tied to wanting a deal at or around $30MM and guarantees that come in around A.J. Brown‘s $84MM. Extension talks, which have produced more rumors compared to Samuel’s two years ago, have not progressed despite having begun months ago.

The 49ers having come to terms with Samuel and Bosa after stretches of non-participation in camp provides a roadmap to an Aiyuk resolution, and the 2023 team’s leading receiver being at camp does as well. The 49ers have repeatedly said Aiyuk, who is tied to a $14.12MM fifth-year option, is in their 2024 plans.

Aiyuk signing an extension would move Samuel to uncertain territory, with the prospect of the elder wideout — who is heading into his age-28 season — being moved to the trade block to accommodate an Aiyuk deal and a Brock Purdy extension in 2025 having been rumored at points this offseason. Ricky Pearsall, who briefly played with Aiyuk at Arizona State, appears in place as a long-term successor to either Aiyuk or Samuel.

Although the 49ers listened on Aiyuk and Samuel during the draft, they are attempting to run it back with the receiving duo they assembled four years ago. Aiyuk can use the prospect of a 2025 franchise tag against the 49ers, who are projected to be nearly $40MM over the 2025 salary ceiling. He has indicated an expectation of playing for the 49ers this season. It may be a bit before Aiyuk goes through drills and team work, and how this latest WR negotiation concludes will have long-term implications for the franchise.

Brandon Aiyuk has not landed the long-term deal he is seeking, nor has his recent trade request resulted in a change of scenery. The 49ers wideout will nevertheless be in attendance for the start of training camp.

Aiyuk reported to camp on Tuesday, as noted by Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Many players seeking a new deal (or a trade) often remain absent as a means of exerting leverage and forcing a resolution. Instead, Aiyuk will be present for summer practices; it would come as no surprise, though, if he staged a hold-in by attending but not taking part in any on-field work.

Questions have been in place throughout the offseason regarding whether or not Aiyuk would remain in San Francisco for the 2024 season and beyond. The 26-year-old drew considerable interest at the draft, with at least five teams being prepared to meet his asking price on a long-term contract. No trade was worked out, and the 49ers are not interested in exploring a deal at this point in the offseason. A distinct lack of progress on the negotiating front led to this situation’s latest escalation.

Aiyuk – who on a number of occasions has voiced his displeasure over the absence of an extension via social media – requested a trade one week ago. A recent meeting with team officials did not produce traction toward an agreement, though as expected San Francisco still views him as a key part of the 2024 roster. General manager John Lynch confirmed (via Garafolo) the 49ers “fully intend” to keep the Arizona State product in the fold for at least the coming season.

The team is believed to be eyeing an agreement between $26 and $27MM per season, a figure which would move Aiyuk into the top 10 in receiver compensation. His asking price has shifted over the course of the offseason, however, one in which three wideouts (Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown) surpassed $30MM in annual compensation. The former first-rounder is currently slated to play out his $14.12MM fifth-year option in 2024.

San Francisco has a number of big-money offensive skill position contracts on the books already, and the team will have a Brock Purdy extension to attend to as early as next offseason. The 49ers added Ricky Pearsall in the first round of this year’s draft, but for now signs continue to point to Aiyuk (who could be franchise tagged in 2025) playing a fifth campaign in the Bay Area.

The 49ers are starting to become notorious for having some of the stingiest purse strings in the NFL. The latest example sees the team go toe-to-toe with yet another star wide receiver in contract negotiations; this time, it’s Brandon Aiyuk. In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show today, Mike Florio of NBC Sports revealed that at least five teams had shown a willingness to pay Aiyuk his asking price.

Florio’s tidbit is a little out of context for the current situation but is still relevant. According to Florio, during the draft, Aiyuk and his camp asked for permission to gauge interest in Aiyuk’s value around the league. His agent was given permission to see how much other teams would be willing to pay Aiyuk, and five teams were willing to meet his asking price at the time of $28MM per year.

Since then, new deals for receivers such as Jaylen Waddle, Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, and Justin Jefferson have vastly shifted the wide receiver-market. Aiyuk, who finished seventh in the league in receiving yards last year (1,342), may not have the stats to reach the payday of some of the players above him, but one must consider two other contributing factors.

First, after missing four games his rookie season (two with COVID-19), Aiyuk has only missed one game in the following three years. Second, Aiyuk is putting up the numbers he’s putting up without being the main focal point of the offense. Even throwing aside star players like running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle, Aiyuk didn’t even get the most opportunities in the wide receivers room. While Aiyuk outpaced Deebo Samuel with 105 targets to Samuel’s 89, Samuel had 37 rushing attempts on top of that.

Aiyuk producing as much as he has in four years while being a third option of four star players should certainly have an impact on his asking price. Imagine the numbers Aiyuk would be able to put up had he the target share of a CeeDee Lamb or a Jefferson. Aiyuk’s contributions over his first four years could be considered comparable to those of Waddle, who recently received a three-year deal averaging $28.25MM a year with the Dolphins.

Now, having requested a trade, the 49ers face the consequences of allowing Aiyuk to theoretically test the market. Not only are there going to be teams willing to give Aiyuk the payday he deserves, but those teams are also going to be willing to give something up in order to obtain his rights in the first place, giving San Francisco little wiggle room to negotiate the price down.

Aiyuk’s situation is becoming a familiar one in San Francisco. Playing the compliant team player has gotten him nowhere in his contract negotiations. To move the needle, Aiyuk made the call to model his behavior after that of two 49ers who did receive paydays in recent years: Samuel and pass rusher Nick Bosa. Both players needed to get creative in negotiations, with Samuel requesting a trade and Bosa holding out at camp. As Florio so aptly worded it, “We’ve seen that you’ve got to be the squeaky wheel to get paid by the 49ers.”

Regardless, there is a market for Aiyuk in the NFL. The 49ers are not bidding against themselves, though their goal of $26MM-27MM suggests that they believe they’re negotiating in a vacuum. Just days ago, we saw the Patriots make inquiries into acquiring Aiyuk. The Commanders and Steelers were also considered contenders to land the wide receiver at some point. Aiyuk will get paid somewhere in the near future. The 49ers just have to decide if they want to open the pocketbook or let someone else pay Aiyuk.