Top 10 payday alone may not be enough to keep Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco.
According to Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers are reportedly offering the star receiver about $26 million per year in a contract extension, but the two sides have yet to come to an agreement.
His average annual salary of $26 million would rank eighth in the NFL in 2024. From overthecap.com.
“I’m hearing their offer could be in the $26 million range, which is not Justin Jefferson money, nor should it be, but more like the next tier of DeVonta Smith or Amon-Ra St. Brown.” “I was like, ‘Daddy and Rand,'” Silver said on KNBR’s “Daddy and Rand” last weekend..
While $26 million a year may seem like a huge amount of money, athletes always look to past contracts as a precedent to get a better deal for themselves.
The wide receiver market has been very active this offseason, with the Vikings’ Jefferson just setting a new record with an average annual salary of $35 million.
Eagles’ AJ Brown ($32 million per year, No. 2), Lions’ St. Brown ($30 million, No. 3) and Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle ($28.3 million, No. 5) all received extensions worth more than $26 million per year, with Philadelphia’s Devonta Smith ($25 million, No. 8) coming in just behind.
Aiyuk is due to play under the $14.1 million franchise tag and appears to prefer waiting until free agency rather than signing a contract that’s closer to a top 10 deal than a top five.
The 26-year-old is looking at St. Brown’s four-year, $120 million contract as a benchmark. According to ESPN:and 49ers wide receivers coach and former NFL wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh. He said in a radio interview San Francisco’s 95.7 FM reported that Aiyuk would accept the offer.
“I think (the 49ers) believe he’s a very good player that they’ve developed and that they want to acquire and they believe he’s one of the best receivers in the league. Obviously, he’s kind of in the next tier, not anywhere near Justin Jefferson or any of the other guys that are being talked about in the top tier, in my opinion,” Silver said. “But they think he’s really good and he’s really good right now and his numbers are spectacular.”
The situation for the 49ers is complicated by Deebo Samuel’s contract.
Samuel has two more years under contract at $23.9 million per year, the 11th-highest salary of all time.
The team considered trading him before the draft but ultimately kept him on the roster while planning their future with first-round draft pick receiver Ricky Pearsall out of Florida.
Other long-term investments, such as long-term contracts with Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams and Fred Warner, limit the amount of money the 49ers have available.
And quarterback Brock Purdy is expected to sign a long-term contract in the near future.
They’re not in a position like Minnesota, who can afford to pay Jefferson because quarterback Sam Darnold is on a one-year contract and the team just drafted fellow point guard J.J. McCarthy.
Silver said he thinks one or both of the receivers will leave the team after the 2024 season.
“I think the 49ers have the mindset that in today’s NFL, when they have to pay a quarterback with the addition of Purdy, paying a big salary for one receiver, much less two receivers, isn’t necessarily the smartest thing to do,” Silver said. “The factor is there are a lot of receivers coming up in the draft that teams find attractive, and that’s reflected in their draft position.”
