Brandon Aiyuk contract demands put 49ers in a terribly difficult spot

The San Francisco 49ers have been mere yards away from glory for the past five seasons.

While most of the media attention has rightly focused on the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty, San Francisco has been a dominant force in the opposing conference. The Niners have made it to the NFC Championship Game in four of the past five seasons.

The Niners have fallen short of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, but general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have constructed a juggernaut in The Bay. The Niners have some of the league’s best players on both sides of the ball, but lucrative contracts have made it difficult to sustain the star-studded roster under the restrictions of the salary cap.

After their last Super Bowl loss in 2019, the Niners traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts for salary cap relief. Four years later, San Francisco is in a similar predicament. The Niners, who are still licking their wounds from their Super Bowl loss in February, are struggling to retain all of their key players once again. 

The price tag for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk keeps increasing 

San Francisco star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is seeking a new contract as he enters the fifth-year option of his rookie contract.

The 49ers are using the recent contract extension of Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown as a benchmark in contract negotiations with Aiyuk, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

"I was told the benchmark here is Amon-Ra St. Brown," Fowler said. "He got $28 million a year on a four-year from Detroit. The goal appears to be to try to beat that. He doesn't have to be the highest-paid in the league, but he's done enough and he's accomplished enough in that offense to where he is probably going to need to be at that number or higher."

St. Brown signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension in April. The deal made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the league, but he was ultimately surpassed by a new deal for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.

The clock is ticking for the Niners brain trust to ink Aiyuk to a new deal. The longer they wait, the more expensive he will get. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb are all set to receive record-breaking contracts within the next year.

While Deebo Samuel has been regarded as the better wide receiver on San Francisco’s roster, Aiyuk proved to be a much more vital part of the offense in 2023. If the 49ers opt to trade one of their star receivers, it would be wise to take a close look at shipping Samuel instead of Aiyuk. 

San Francisco has the highest average age in the league and the least total salary cap space, per Spotrac. The Niners have eight players accounting for $146.4 million against the 2024 salary cap. Still, they have $5.1 million in available salary cap space.

For now, San Francisco could manipulate Aiyuk’s contract to limit his salary cap hit for 2024, but they also need to keep an eye on the future. Quarterback Brock Purdy’s minuscule salary has helped San Francisco retain their top-heavy roster, but that will come to an end once Purdy is eligible for a contract extension next offseason. 

Aiyuk had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.