Brandon Aiyuk's contract sets the stage for at least one tough-to-swallow loss

After the Brandon Aiyuk saga ended with the most unexciting conclusion, it felt like the San Francisco 49ers got the monkey off their back, right?

Wrong.

Locking Aiyuk into a four-year, $120 million contract, including $76 million in guaranteed money, gives them their top wide receiver of the present and future. However, the fallout of the massive payday also puts them in a tricky financial position moving forward. As a result, someone will get the short end of the stick in the Bay Area. But who?

Brandon Aiyuk's contract sets the stage for at least one tough-to-swallow loss

The 49ers brass ought to have difficult conversations soon. They currently have the second-most cap space in the NFL, though Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy accounts for a measly .39 percent of their payroll. But ESPN's Bill Barnwell believes his next contract could net him $65 million annually, putting San Fran between a rock and a hard place. Combined with Aiyuk and the offseason extension of all-world running Christian McCaffrey, it'll be hard for the team to retain other players.

Not to mention, All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams is holding out from the Niners and won't return until his contract situation gets resolved. And based on recent intel from NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the star offensive lineman and 49ers aren't particularly close on an extension.

Williams is looking to reset his positional market value. Will the 49ers give in to the lofty demands? Can they manage to do that without losing Purdy? The latter notably struggled without the former last season -- could that be something the organization is factoring into their thought process?

Purdy's splits without and without Williams in 2023 are enough to motivate the 49ers to consider them a package deal. Having such an expensive quarterback means nothing if you can't maximize his skill set, which the veteran blindside protector does.

With Aiyuk getting compensated like an alpha pass-catcher, could the Niners offload teammate and fellow wideout Deebo Samuel? The self-proclaimed "wide back" has an out in his contract in 2025. Could he be the odd man out? Grant Cohn of 49ers On SI ostensibly indicated that's an option following the agreement between San Franciso and the Second Team All-Pro.