NFL Insider Predicts Aiyuk’s Annual Pay in New 49ers Contract originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Brandon Aiyuk’s future with the 49ers remains uncertain less than three months before the start of the 2024 NFL season.
If both parties ultimately agree to a contract extension to keep the wide receiver at bay beyond next season, Sports Illustrated’s NFL Insider Albert Breer predicted what the numbers would look like.
“I think so,” Breer responded in his recent mailbag article when asked if he believes Aiyuk and the 49ers will make a deal (h/t 49ers Webzone). “My friend Mike Silver at the San Francisco Chronicle has an offer from the San Francisco 49ers averaging $26 million a year. My feeling is that this is getting close to where they will have to lock up Brandon Aiyuk, who they really value and love.
“I think the final number, if I had to guess, would end up being $29 million a year, which would put Aiyuk ahead of Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins and Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions, and even behind the Minnesota Vikings. ‘ Justin Jefferson increased a lot (which would be understandable).”
Breer noted that if the 49ers extend Aiyuk, teams around the league will stop calling about the Arizona State product and start asking about their other star, Deebo Samuel.
For now, though, the focus is on Aiyuk, who remains at an impasse with San Francisco amid the team’s offseason program.
Aiyuk has been conspicuously absent from both voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp as contract negotiations continue, and there is no indication he will be near team facilities until there is a resolution.
Last week, Silver appeared on KNBR’s “Papa & Lund” and said he “heard their offer is in the $26 million range.” That same day, however, Aiyuk’s wide receiver coach and former NFL receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs” that Aiyuk I would have already agreed to terms if the 49ers offered him the same deal as St. Brown’s four-year, $120 million contract.
Aiyuk accounted Over 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons and has made huge leaps forward with each campaign.
There’s no telling what the numbers will look like — or what the outcome of all this will be — but for now, Breer, like many other football lovers pretending to be NFL agents and executives, will enjoy speculating.
