The San Francisco 49ers are doing everything in their power to keep all the pieces in place that helped them reach the Super Bowl last season, but there are tough decisions that will have to be made.
One of the biggest question marks surrounds star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is set to be a free agent after this season and is due for a contract extension.
His name has come up in plenty of potential trade scenarios, but his skillset adds a dimension to that offense that benefits the other arsenal of playmakers.
Extending wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is sitting highlighted and in bold type atop the 49ers’ imaginary offseason to-do list. The reasons for keeping him in the building were established over the last two seasons when Aiyuk led the team in receiving despite dealing with an array of quarterback tumult and playing third or fourth fiddle to the team’s other offensive weapons.
Aiyuk is ascending as one of the five or 10 best receivers in football. That alone is reason enough to pay to keep him in Santa Clara. There’s a ripple effect created by keeping him though that is an essential piece of the San Francisco 49ers’ long-term future.
What Aiyuk has been able to do in an offense that also features WR Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey has been undeniably impressive. His ability to stretch the field even opens up room for jack-of-all trades Kyle Juszcyk to get open in the flat and pick up significant gains as a pass-catcher.
He’s built a good rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy and he thrives in the same areas of the field that Purdy is at his best throwing to.
That relationship with the young QB is the key reason the San Francisco 49ers should do everything to ensure Aiyuk is back for the foreseeable future.
It appears the 49ers are ready to make Purdy their franchise quarterback, and with his extension due as early as next offseason, they’ll need to start figuring out how to build a roster around a quarterback contract that sits near the top of the market instead of literally at the very bottom of it.
That leads to tough decisions for Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, and according to a new report on Sunday, they have reached a stalemate with one of their most underrated, yet valued offensive staples.
San Francisco 49ers Asked Kyle Juszcyk About A Salary Reduction But The Two Sides Are At A Stalemate According To New Report
Very few teams carry a fullback in the modern NFL.
The 49ers are different — and they don’t just have one on the roster to help carve holes for Christian McCaffrey — they have a versatile jack-of-all trades who may be the most underrated piece on the 49ers offense.
Kyle Juszcyk is the leading force for Kyle Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme, while also serving as a reliable pass-catcher who can maul down defenders for pick pickups when Purdy has to check it down to him as a receiver in the flat.
According to NFL Insider Adam Caplan in a new report on Sunday night, the San Francisco 49ers have approached Juszczyk, an eight-time Pro Bowl (2016-2023) selection and first-team All-Pro last season, for a salary reduction for the 2024 season, a league source said. Both sides have not reached an agreement on this issue, so his situation remains up in the air going forward.
Juszczyk is on the books for a non-guaranteed $5.75 million base salary for this season along with $400k in per-game roster bonuses.
While that’s a small chunk of change when it comes to most NFL contracts, it’s significant for a fullback when almost no other team keeps one on the roster. Still, there’s no denying Juszczyk‘s value to the team which is why he’s been around so long, but it’s clear the 49ers brass is trying to free up any possible room to possibly ink an extension with Aiyuk or make other significant moves.
Kyle Juszczyk, who was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, signed a four-year, $21 million deal with the 49ers in March of 2017. He then signed a five-year, $27 million extension in March of 2021.