The San Francisco 49ers have aspirations to make another run at the Super Bowl in 2024 — and minus a few departures — the bulk of last year’s team is still in place.
There is one player that has an uncertain future in San Francisco though — and based on his 2023 All-Pro performance — he could be the difference.
Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk, 26, had the best season of his career in 2023, notching 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, marking his second straight season with more than 1,000 receiving yards. He has been the team’s leading receiver over the past two seasons.
In a recent interview on the Nightcap podcast (h/t Yahoo Sports’ Ian Casselberry), Aiyuk expressed his interest in getting a contract extension that he feels is worthy of his play,
“I’m trying to get what I deserve,” Aiyuk said. “I feel like this season, this season playing football, I figured out who I was as a person and a player, what I bring to the table, what I bring to the locker room, what I bring to the organization. And just the value I hold when I walk in that building.”
Amid trade buzz surrounding San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, the two sides are not close on a contract extension, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
“We’re not close, and they have made a recent run at it from my understanding,” Garafolo said. “It’s not like they haven’t had any discussions. … Basically, it’s a little bit of a standoff right now.”
Garafolo noted that an option for the 49ers is to exercise the fifth-year option on Aiyuk’s contract, though a recent cryptic Instagram post from Aiyuk suggested he’d hold out if the two sides don’t agree on an extension.
Should the 49ers exercise Aiyuk’s fifth-year option, he would make $14.1 million in 2024 and be an unrestricted free agent in 2025. Per Spotrac, Aiyuk has a market value of $24 million per year, which would put him among the top-paid receivers in the league.
San Francisco 49ers Star Brandon Aiyuk Unfollows Team On Social Media With Contract Dispute Ongoing
This offseason, it seems highly likely that we will see a total reset of the wide receiver market. While the crop of free agent wideouts did not necessarily include any of the true top-10 players at the position, there are several extension-eligible players included in that group. Each of Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase is widely considered to be among the small handful of best receivers in the NFL, and they can (and should) all get paid this offseason.
Brandon Aiyuk may not be considered in the same class, but the San Francisco 49ers star is certainly close. He’s been linked to trade rumors all offseason — and as more time passes without a contract extension — the likelihood of the 49ers moving their star wideout seems more and more likely.
On Friday, Aiyuk made a public move to show his frustrations toward the team by unfollowing the 49ers official social media accounts.
And away we go… https://t.co/iRSnWIUAjy
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 12, 2024
“From the first day I walked in there to when I was in there earlier this morning. I’ve done it the right way,” Brandon Aiyuk said about a potential contract extension.
“If they don’t see the worth in that [makes a walking motion with hands], that’s all it is. It ain’t nothing else besides that. I can’t get into it. We got professionals working on both sides, so hopefully, we can come to a professional agreement and continue playing professional football.”
As of now, it certainly feels like the San Francisco 49ers could have other plans for Aiyuk moving forward or they could potentially exercise his 5th-year option, making him a free agent after 2024.
