According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk remain at a stalemate over what he’s worth on his next contract.
“The 49ers do not want to and do not intend to trade Brandon Aiyuk despite the fact that he has asked the team officially to move on from him,” Schefter said Wednesday on NFL Live.
“And really what this comes down to is, there is a disagreement on his value.”
Schefter speculated San Francisco might internally see Aiyuk coming in below what Jaylen Waddle is earning from the Miami Dolphins. With a $28.3 million average salary, Waddle ranks fifth at the receiver position.
Aiyuk is in the last year of his rookie deal after the Niners picked up his $14.1 million option, and his contract status has been a lingering storyline throughout the offseason.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday the 26-year-old has finally made a formal trade request, adding that San Francisco hasn’t “been willing to engage in negotiations since May.” Schefter quickly followed up to report the Niners made it clear to any potential suitors they have “no intention” of moving Aiyuk.
That sets up a potentially delicate situation.
The 49ers have little short-term incentive in trading Aiyuk now because what they’d get back is probably draft capital that won’t convey until 2025 at the earliest.
Losing a player this good without a suitable replacement isn’t something a franchise with Super Bowl aspirations can afford. The continued absence of a new contract, though, risks Aiyuk getting increasingly disgruntled.
The 2020 first-round pick understandably wants to cash out amid the spike in the market. In this offseason alone, Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown and Justin Jefferson all claimed the title of the highest-paid receiver, with Jefferson sitting at the front of the pack with his $35 million average salary.
But San Francisco’s position on his value, as described by Schefter, wouldn’t be too unfair based on Aiyuk’s production to this point. He has two 1,000-yard seasons and has yet to be selected to a Pro Bowl, though he did get a second-team All-Pro nod in 2023.
Jefferson, Brown, St. Brown and Waddle by comparison all have either multiple Pro Bowl nods, three-plus seasons with 1,000 receiving yards, or a combination of the two.
Obviously, the optimal outcome for Aiyuk is having the 49ers meet his asking price before the start of the regular season. Playing out the year on his current salary and putting together his best campaign yet would at least put him on much stronger footing to get the kind of raise he seems to be seeking.
