Why Breer believes there is ‘optimism’ 49ers will extend Aiyuk originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
Although Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers are currently in arduous contract negotiations, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes there is reason for optimism that the two parties will agree to the terms.
Speaking with Colin Cowherd on FS1 “The herd,” Breer explained why San Francisco fans should be hopeful that both sides will reach a new contract soon.
“I think there are two things that give you some optimism that he can still be there [in San Francisco],” Breer said. “Number one is they got Christian McCaffrey [contract] done aggressively. And I think they had to do McCaffrey before Aiyuk, because if you pay Aiyuk $29, $30, $31 million a year now, McCaffrey’s price goes up, so you had to take care of him first.”
Breer explained why he believes San Francisco wants to keep Aiyuk, given his explosive abilities as a traditional wide receiver.
“The second thing is that our mutual friend Mike Silver reported that they [offered] $26 million, that’s not that far off,” Breer told Cowherd. “And often these things get uglier in the end and Deebo [Samuel] things weren’t clear until the end.
“And I would say this to you, and I feel strongly about this part, I think if you fed John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan truth serum and asked them who you would rather have on the roster, Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk from here to front, I think they would respond to Aiyuk.
“They love Deebo, Deebo can do a lot of different things for them, but Deebo is like a supercharged gadget player. Aiyuk is more of a typical number one receiver who can beat man coverage and you can build an offense.
However, the NFL reporter also pointed out some possible situations in which the team and wideout could end up parting ways.
“So, do I think they’ll go to Justin Jefferson’s numbers to get Aiyuk a contract? No,” Breer said. “And if Aiyuk draws a line in the sand and says, ‘I’m not going to accept anything less than this,’ then maybe he’ll get traded. But if there’s some level of commitment, I still think the Niners would like to do something with Aiyuk and I don’t think the door is closed on that.”
The four-year pro is entering the final year of his debut five-year contract and has made it clear he wants a significant pay rise. Jefferson redefined the wideout market with his massive four-year, $140 million deal, making it difficult for the 49ers to agree on a suitable contract.
Quarterback Brock Purdy has one year left on his rookie contract and he will also receive a large salary when he is extended at the end of next season. Keeping Aiyuk, McCaffrey, Purdy, Samuel and tight end George Kittle could be difficult in future seasons.
As contract negotiations continue, Aiyuk has been absent from 49ers’ offseason program and has posted cryptic things on social media indicating their dissatisfaction with their current situation.
Still, both parties are actively engaged in figuring out the monetary details to keep the beneficiary in the red and gold over the long term.
