San Francisco 49ers ink star Brandon Aiyuk to whopping contract; 2 moves that could come next

The long drama between the San Francisco 49ers and All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is finally a thing of the past.

Multiple media reports indicate that San Francisco has signed Aiyuk to a massive contract extension. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport notes that it’s a four-year, $130 million contract, which is front loaded.

This is an absolutely huge move for the defending NFC champions. It was looking like the 26-year-old Aiyuk was headed out of town via a trade. San Francisco had conversations with multiple teams regarding a deal after Aiyuk requested a trade during the offseason. More recently, the 49ers had displayed frustration over how things were going.

“At some point, you’ve got to play,” 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters on Wednesday .

A former first-round pick out of Arizona State, Aiyuk has morphed into one of the most-important players on San Francisco’s loaded roster.

Last season saw him catch 75 passes for 1,342 yards with seven touchdowns. Brock Purdy completed 71.4% of his passes for a 124.0 QB rating when targeting Aiyuk.

Related: San Francisco 49ers standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL power rankings

Moves the San Francisco 49ers must make after signing Brandon Aiyuk

Now that the Aiyuk saga is behind San Francisco, it’s time to get to work on a few other things ahead of Week 1 against the New York Jets .

• Sign Trent Williams: This one is pretty obvious. Williams is holding out for a new contract after he saw fellow left tackles get paid big time during the offseason. The 36-year-old Williams has earned 11 Pro Bowls throughout his career and deserves that Brinks Truck.

• Sign Charvarius Ward: This Pro Bowl cornerback has not made news as he enters the final season of his contract. But it’s as clear as day that Ward wants to get paid. He was absolutely stellar last season, leading the NFL with 23 passes defended while yielding a mere 64.5 QB rating.

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