Insider provides pessimistic contract update for Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers

Bradon Aiyuk was a fixture in trade rumors around the NFL Draft. The San Francisco 49ers ultimately stood pat, but the issue is not resolved. At 26 years old, Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He's ready for a new deal and, from the looks of it, the Niners aren't particularly eager to pay market price. Now it could get uncomfortable.

If the standoff continues, Aiyuk can decide to sit out mandatory offseason workouts. Training camp starts in late July. The Niners are blessed with several dynamic pass-catchers and perhaps the best offensive play-caller in the NFL. Still, there's a desire to have everybody available and moving in the same direction when the season starts. San Francisco was painfully close to winning the Super Bowl a few months ago. There will be immense pressure to finally deliver in 2025, as these windows never stay open forever.

The Niners want to re-sign Aiyuk and he wants to stick around. He has made his irritation known to the public on a few occasions, but Aiyuk's agent vehemently denied rumors of a trade request around the draft. The door is wide open for both sides to find common ground and forge a long-term partnership. Aiyuk can't hope for a better offensive ecosystem. That said, money talks, and right now, San Francisco has been stubbornly silent.

As ESPN's Jeremy Fowler illuminated on SportsCenter (h/t Bleacher Report), there remains a vast canyon between the Niners and Aiyuk on the extension front.

"This one's tricky because he was implicated in some trade talks around the draft. He wants a new contract; has one year left. I'm told the 49ers certainly are open to doing a deal, but talks have not progressed enough where things are close. And so, is he going to show up for their workouts? Hard to tell right now. The market is pretty set for him. Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit did that deal recently, about $28 million a year. So, that's something for Aiyuk and the 49ers to work off of but I'm told they're not quite there yet."

49ers and Brandon Aiyuk remain distant in contract talks as training camp approaches

The Niners are in a tough position, tasked with financially managing a very deep, very talented, very competitive roster. All the best teams need to make sacrifices eventually, as evidenced by the Chiefs' decision to trade L'Jarius Sneed after back-to-back Super Bowl victories. San Francisco can pay Aiyuk his desired value — probably in the $30 million annual range — but that limits their ability to spend at other positions.

Deebo Samuel was tossed into trade rumors around the draft as well. It could end up being an either-or proposition for the Niners, with Samuel owed $28.6 million in what could be the final year of his contract. Aiyuk is younger and he was more productive last season, but Samuel's versatility within Kyle Shanahan's scheme cannot be overlooked. He's probably less expensive to keep around for a few more years, too.

The Niners went for a WR in the first round of April's draft, selecting Florida Gators utilityman Ricky Pearsall. A former teammate of Aiyuk at Arizona State, the rook even got the blessing of San Francisco's disgruntled star. Whether Pearsall serves a gesture of good faith and a future partner for Aiyuk, or his eventual replacement, is yet to be seen.

In an ideal world, Aiyuk sticks around San Francisco for another four years and helps the Niners win a championship. A.J. Brown ($32 million annually), Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million), and DeVonta Smith ($25 million) all set the market this offseason. There's a clear range for San Francisco and Aiyuk to aim for. At this point, it comes down to good faith dialogue and a desire to reunite. Is Aiyuk serious about coming back? Are the Niners serious about keeping him?

We shall see.