Why the 49ers face tough decisions at wide receiver originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Deebo Samuel is one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the game.
Brandon Aiyuk is looking a contract that exceeds Samuel’s agreement and takes into account the constantly growing receiver market.
On Wednesday, the 49ers arrested #3 receiver Jauan Jennings on a two-year deal that means a substantial pay raise and likely pays him as if he were a starter.
And besides, the 49ers hope Rookie Ricky Pearsall’s main contributionsa first-round draft pick who will sign a four-year, fully guaranteed contract worth $12.54 million that includes a $5.94 million signing bonus.
How long can the 49ers keep this group together?
Not long, perhaps, unless these four players are so good together that general manager John Lynch believes it’s in the organization’s best interest to find other roster spots to save money.
And this is certainly one of the many options.
Offensive line coach and passing game coordinator Chris Foerster — of all people — explained why he would always lean toward taking a playmaker over a blocker in the draft.
“If they ask me, invest in guys who touch the ball, who can touch the ball and score touchdowns,” Foerster said. “And then there’s a number of guys, second, third, fourth round, even fifth round, that we’re going to find starting offensive linemen around.
“The fact that you can throw a short pass to Deebo, even if the right tackle is getting beat, it ends up being a 60-yard touchdown. So yes, the right tackle blocks someone, but if the guy is tackled for 5 yards, you don’t have the 60-yard touchdown.”
Of course, the salary cap is rising as the NFL continues to print money.
But the 49ers’ player contracts are also growing rapidly as they continue to acquire and develop many of the NFL’s best players at their positions.
After this season, Brock Purdy will go from being one of the team’s lowest-paid players to potentially a $50 million-a-year quarterback.
Starting cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, as well as linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga and left guard Aaron Banks are slated for unrestricted free agency and could also cash in.
Aiyuk is also set to enter the final year of his contract. The 49ers are scheduled to pay him $14.1 million this season on the fifth-year option. He could play this season on his existing contract, but it makes sense for Aiyuk to sign a new contract that works for both sides.
Aiyuk is likely seeking a contract that pays him at the same level as the wideouts who signed new contracts this offseason, specifically Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions, whose contract pays him an average of $23.74 million over the next five seasons.
On Thursday, the Miami Dolphins reached a reported three-year extension worth $84.75 million with wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. In other words, the wide receiver market is robust and Aiyuk will eventually earn generational money.
It may be difficult for the 49ers to justify keeping Aiyuk and Samuel together beyond this season.
The 49ers did not touch Deebo Samuel’s contract this offseason to create any additional cap space. He counts $28.6 million against this year’s salary cap.
In 2025, the final year of his contract, he will have $24.2 million against the cap. A trade or release would save at least $9 million in capital.
The 49ers made a difficult decision this offseason by moving on from defensive lineman Arik Armstead. Each offseason will bring much-needed roster changes to the franchise’s longtime cornerstones.
This is a fact of life in the NFL, where teams can determine year after year which players stick and which players no longer fit.
It seems unlikely that the 49ers will be able to keep Samuel and Aiyuk together beyond this season.
But depending on how this season plays out, it might be impossible for the organization to end up with a good thing too.
