Brandon Aiyuk’s Contract Extension: What’s Happening?

The San Francisco 49ers have already extended both Jauan Jennings and Christian McCaffrey, but Brandon Aiyuk’s contract extension status is still pending. There have been rumors, including trade rumors during the 2024 NFL Draft. While there is no extension yet, it is still important to go over any updates there may be.

Brandon Aiyuk Contract Extension Update

No deal has been agreed upon as of yet. While that is annoying to some 49ers fans, at least fans know that they have been here before. Last year it was with defensive lineman Nick Bosa and the year before it was with wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Patience is the key here, at least for the fans.

How are the negotiations currently going? Well the most recent update, as of now, is the 49ers offer. According to Mike Silver of The San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers’ most recent contract offer is for around $26 million per year. This is close to the range of DeVonta Smith and Amon-Ra St. Brown, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. Justin Jefferson recently signed a huge extension with the Minnesota Vikings, but Aiyuk is projected to be closer to Smith and Brown.

According to Aiyuk’s personal wide receiver coach, if the 49ers went two million higher, which is closer to what Brown received, Aiyuk would have signed the deal. Multiple 49ers reporters feel that while negotiations are taking place, the fans should continue their patience. It is currently June, and the team has all summer to get this deal done with Aiyuk. While sooner is better, it feels as though it will be another long summer.

Aiyuk does have one year left on his contract and is set to be with the team unless there is a holdout of some sort. When the receiver was not traded on draft night, this was pretty known. It took Bosa until right before the season began to sign his deal. Time will tell on how the story will go for Aiyuk’s deal with the Niners.

Aiyuk’s 2023 Season

In 2023, Aiyuk had a strong season with San Francisco. He was a key player all year and made quarterback Brock Purdy’s life a lot easier. In that big reception against the Detroit Lions, Purdy made that throw because he knew Aiyuk was a safe bet in a one-on-one matchup.

In the regular season, Aiyuk had 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. This has been his most receiving yards in one regular season so far. In the playoffs, he had nine receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown.

Aiyuk’s route running ability and speed make him stand out in an already stacked offense. He is worth the money, but how much money remains to be seen.

Aiyuk’s Future with the Team

When this contract is finalized, assuming it all goes as expected, Aiyuk will remain with the team for at least three more years. If any receiver is traded in the future, it will likely be Deebo Samuel, but that is a question for the next off-season. When contract negotiations take a while, the player may have a slow start to the season. This was seen with Bosa last year as well. Hopefully, that slow start either does not happen or at least does not take long. The 49ers have a tough schedule this year, and Aiyuk will be a big help to an already-loaded team.

The other great thing about this eventual Aiyuk contract extension? It will clear up some cap space to set up for next year’s big extension. the 2025 offseason will be focused on Purdy’s new deal. The sooner the team gets the Aiyuk deal done, the sooner the front office can stress about extending their quarterback.

While this may not have been the best update, that is just where things stand. San Francisco has put out offers, but no deal has been struck. Time will only tell what will happen with Brandon Aiyuk’s contract extension.