Brandon Aiyuk has to wonder when – and if – it’ll be his turn. As the San Francisco 49ers pay another offensive weapon, Aiyuk remains in search of a new deal. His situation escalated Tuesday, officially a holdout after skipping the first day of the team’s mandatory minicamp program.
As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes, he is the second receiver around the league skipping out on minicamp, joining the Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb. They might not be the only two. When the Cincinnati Bengals hold their minicamp next weekend, WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the latter playing on an unsigned franchise tag, could also skip.
The 49es spent Tuesday paying someone. It just wasn’t Aiyuk. They reportedly struck a two-year extension with RB Christian McCaffrey, a monster deal for the position that will pay him $19 million per season.
It comes after the team inked WR Jauan Jennings to two-year extension last month. That was a much smaller deal but still came before Aiyuk, who is looking to be one of the league’s highest-paid wide receivers. The market has heated up over the last few months with a handful of wideouts receiving at least $25 million per season: DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, and Justin Jefferson. If Lamb and Chase receive long-term deals, they’ll easily clear that bar. Coming off a career year, Aiyuk is likely targeting around $30 million average yearly value.
The 49ers have shut down trade rumors and expressed confidence in reaching a long-term deal. But it’s clear they won’t be able to keep everyone. As malleable as the cap is, the 49ers have spent lavishly and will have to pay QB Brock Purdy next offseason when he is due for a massive raise.
The consensus is the team won’t be able to keep Aiyuk and WR Deebo Samuel long-term, likely to trade one of them over the next 12 months. It’s a question of who and when they would do that, now or later. Until Aiyuk receives a long-term deal, he will still be part of trade rumors with the Steelers linked as a top partner. If you believe reporting, Pittsburgh already thought it was close once.
