One of the biggest storylines of the NFL offseason has been the ongoing saga regarding a contract extension between the San Francisco 49ers and All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Ever since the 49ers lost Super Bowl LVIII, Aiyuk has made it crystal clear that he wants a new contract. However, San Francisco and their star wide receiver have not made much progress on negotiations.
Talks had stalled so much leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft that many believed that Aiyuk would be traded on the first night of the draft. The first round came and went, though, and no trade occurred. General manager John Lynch stated, at the time, that they were committed to moving forward with both Aiyuk and his fellow Pro Bowl wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
The San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk Have Made No Progress on Contract Talks
Despite their desire to work out a deal with Aiyuk, nothing has been achieved yet. The fifth-year veteran held out of the 49ers’ organized team activities, including mandatory minicamp.
According to multiple reports, the two sides are nowhere near coming to an agreement either. Aiyuk is seeking a contract that will pay him $30 million a year while San Francisco is apparently countering at $26 million a year.
Aiyuk’s $30 million per season figure comes from the contract that the Detroit Lions gave Amon-Ra St. Brown earlier this offseason. There are currently only four wide receivers in the NFL making $30 million or more per season: Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, St. Brown, and Tyreek Hill.
In other words, Aiyuk wants to be paid like a top-five wide receiver in the NFL. The 49ers’ offer of $26 million a year would rank eighth.
Recently, Aiyuk told his former college teammate, Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, that he was told by San Francisco that they did not want him anymore.
San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk Reveals the 3 NFL Teams He Could Play for in 2024
Obviously, there is no guarantee that the 49ers and Aiyuk will come to an agreement before training camp. If he is really stubborn, he could hold out into the regular season like Chris Jones did with the Kansas City Chiefs last year.
Of course, there is also the chance that San Francisco decides to finally trade him. When asked about where he could play in 2024 on The Pivot podcast, Aiyuk revealed that he could see himself playing for either the 49ers, Commanders, or Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Probably a Niners uniform. If not a Niners uniform, probably a Washington Commanders uniform. If not a Washington Commanders uniform, probably a Steelers uniform,” he said.
Both Commanders and Steelers are teams that have been linked to Aiyuk in trade rumors previously this summer.
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