Superstar receiver Brandon Aiyuk is far away in negotiations with the San Francisco 49ers, and a trade is still feasible this summer. According to a source, the organization is making little headway with the Arizona State product on a contract extension that would keep him for the next few years. Aiyuk is due to earn $14.1 million next season, the final year of his rookie contract. However, at least for this season, the 49ers have no plans to move him or Deebo Samuel.
San Francisco is doing some “planting seeds” after selecting Florida receiver, Ricky Pearsall in the first round. This could have indicated that they’re not looking to commit to Aiyuk or Samuel in a long-term extension. However, it seems likely that they’ll extend Aiyuk while Samuel winds up elsewhere in 2025. The receiver market has been soaring this offseason with A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown receiving long-term mega deals that keep them on the same team for a while.
The Philadelphia Eagles were able to dish out a deal for DeVonta Smith, a contract that averages $25 million per year. However, Aiyuk will probably view himself in the same strata as St. Brown and that may be the expected contract he wants. It shouldn’t be a shock to anyone if he decides to sit out for mandatory camp next month. The team starts their OTA’s this week so no one should see him participating.
The 49ers have enough offensive firepower to withhold his absence if there’s no deal reached. However, they want to avoid that since they don’t want this stretching into training camp. San Francisco has all of the tools to win a ring and the last thing they want is not having their top receiver available for week one.
