Brandon Aiyuk reportedly turned down substantial amount of money from Patriots

As it turns out, it’s not all about the money for Brandon Aiyuk, after all.

The San Francisco 49ers star receiver reportedly turned down a lucrative contract extension from the New England Patriots that would have made him one of the five highest-paid WRs in the NFL, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss .

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reiterated the same thing Thursday on “The Rich Eisen Show,” stating New England offered Aiyuk a deal that would have paid him $32 million per year but he rejected it.

“Aiyuk in his mind feels like he’s a No. 1 (WR), and when I get evaluations around the league they say, ‘Well, he’s a 1B. Like, he’s on the bottom of that tier, but we consider him a [No. 1],’” Garafolo said . “And in his mind, he’s saying, ‘Well, I’ve at least got to be at the [$28M] that some of these other guys are at, and the Niners weren’t there and the Patriots were willing to split those two tiers. I’m telling you no matter where he signs, no matter where he gets traded, no matter where the next deal comes from…it’s not going to be [better than the Patriots’ offer].”

As of Thursday evening, Aiyuk is still a member of the 49ers, and they don’t have to trade him.

Aiyuk is under contract for 2024, and because of the franchise tag, they can theoretically keep him for the next three seasons. Meaning, San Francisco has the luxury of waiting until the Steelers either come up with a better trade package or a third team steps in to help facilitate a deal. (SF reportedly wants a WR back in any trade involving Aiyuk.)

The Cleveland Browns also made a play for Aiyuk, and while it’s not known how much they were offering on a contract extension, Garafolo indicates that it wasn’t as high as New England’s offer either.

It seems like Aiyuk’s only two options now are to lower his asking price and re-sign with the 49ers or hope the Steelers find a way to convince San Francisco to take their trade offer.