The 49ers' lingering contract standoff with Brandon Aiyuk is showing no signs of immediate resolution. The star receiver rightfully wants a major payday, and as usual in Santa Clara, that takes time to get done.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN ( linked here , for proof that he actually said these things), Aiyuk wants a deal similar to what Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions received in late April.
“They [49ers and Aiyuk] have been talking, they’ve been negotiating," Fowler said on NFL Live. "Nothing imminent as of yet, but there’s certainly a chance. I was told the benchmark here is Amon-Ra St. Brown, because he got $28 million dollars a year on a four-year deal from Detroit. The goal is, it appears, for Aiyuk to try to beat that. He doesn’t need to be the highest paid in the league, but he’s done enough and accomplished enough in that offense where he’s probably going to need to be at that number or higher.”
St. Brown, who is coming off an All-Pro season with 119 receptions on 164 targets, 1,515 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, got a four-year, $120.01 million contract extension that will pay him roughly $28 million per year and makes him the second-highest-paid receiver in the league behind A.J. Brown.
He received $77 million in guarantees, and $34.66 million in full guarantees, which are the important, real numbers. He has three void years that clock in at $16.7 million in 2029.
Aiyuk is set to play on his fifth-year option, worth $14.1 million. The 26-year-old is coming off an All-Pro season in which he finished with 75 catches for 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns in a congested offense.
His value as a well-rounded receiver, and the only one who can run the full route tree against man coverage, and his importance as a blocker , should not be understated. His 17.8 yards per catch led the league, a reflection of the fact that he was 36th in the NFL with 105 targets, but seventh in receiving yards. That makes him by far the most efficient receiver in the NFL.
It's a situation which could linger into training camp, and likely won't get cheaper, especially with the Texans extending Nico Collins Tuesday on a three-year $72.75 million extension with $52 million guaranteed. Aiyuk should be asking for what he's asking for.
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