I’ve been a fan of Brandon Aiyuk since his days at Arizona State (where he was catching passes from Jayden Daniels). Alas, Ron Rivera had other priorities in the 2020 draft.
The 49ers ended up selecting Aiyuk with the 25th pick in the draft, and over the past four seasons, he’s emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
In April of 2023, San Francisco picked up Aiyuk’s 5th year option, which ties him to them through the 2024 season, but this offseason there has been a tremendous amount of speculation about whether the 49ers will extend him, or whether they might trade him before losing contractual control of him.
— Sterling Bennett (@49ers_Access) June 16, 2024Negotiations between the #49ers and WR Brandon Aiyuk have, “stalled a bit,” per @JFowlerESPN
Fowler added things, “do not have a lot of momentum and optimism,” despite both sides wanting to get a deal done.
The 49ers are in quite a pinch, with both Deebo Samuel and Aiyuk potentially hitting the market next offseason, and having just used a first round pick on wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in April.
A recent social media post by Aiyuk has added fuel to those simmering embers.
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) June 17, 2024#49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk to #Commanders QB Jayden Daniels:
“They said they don’t want me back… I swear”
Aiyuk to DC?
The 49ers may be in no rush to sign Aiyuk, but such is the nature of the NFL’s wide receiver market that delay simply increases the asking price dramatically. The Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, who occupies a similar stratosphere to Aiyuk, signed a $30M+/year deal in April. A day later, AJ Brown signed a $32M/year deal with the Eagles.
Earlier this month, Justin Jefferson - widely considered to be the best WR in the league - was signed to a $35M/year deal. The floor for any Aiyuk extension at this point would likely be $30M/year (he’s slated to receive around $14M as part of his 5th year option this season).
"Aiyuk is not at minicamp, and he wants to get paid."@JeffDarlington says that the 49ers are facing a "wildly interesting situation" when it comes to Brandon Aiyuk's contract pic.twitter.com/Vfs39JgT0H
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 4, 2024
Given the team building strategy that Adam Peters articulated earlier in the year, it’s not clear if Aiyuk would fit into Washington’s plans:
“I find this a very similar situation from when we got to San Francisco in 2017,” Peters said. “A lot of great similarities, so I have a lot to lean on from that experience. Both things we did well and things we didn’t, but ultimately, we’re going to build through the draft here and supplement through free agency. We’re going to be very process driven and diligent in who we select in free agency. But we’re going to build through the draft here.”
That said, give Peters’ prior connection to Aiyuk, Aiyuk’s exemplary skill set, and Washington’s flush salary cap situation, he may be too enticing to pass up.
Currently, the top of Washington’s WR depth chart, based on recent historical production, looks something like this:
- WR1 - Terry McLaurin
- WR2 - Jahan Dotson
- WR3 - Olamide Zaccheaus
If traded for, Aiyuk would immediately shoot to the top of that group, with Terry sliding to WR2 and Jahan filling out the complement of starting wide receivers. The unit as a whole would become a top five WR room in the league, behind only teams like the Texans, Dolphins, and Bengals.
Aiyuk has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the league, and it’s undeniable that he’d give Washington’s young rookie QB a stellar weapon as he adjusts to the pro game.
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 15, 2024DJ Moore was incredible last year
only player with more 25+ yard catches was Tyreek
21 - Tyreek
16 - DJ Moore, Brandon Aiyuk
15 - Justin Jefferson, A.J. BrownMoore had career highs in catches, yards & TDs despite playing in the lackluster CHI offensepic.twitter.com/66fKpBfmgy
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) April 24, 2024brandon aiyuk had the 7th most receiving yards in the league despite having the 52nd most routes run
he had the 3rd best yards per route run in the NFL while having the 24th best targets per route run
aiyuk was also 8th in ESPN's open score and 1st in their catch score
Find someone who blocks for you like Brandon Aiyuk blocked for Deebo Samuel on this touchdown ↔️ pic.twitter.com/goX2l2wdCX
— (@TheSFNiners) June 15, 2024
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) June 17, 2024Almost two months ago, Jayden Daniels was asked who is his dream teammate, in which he replied Brandon Aiyuk.
Now, Brandon Aiyuk says in a FaceTime call to Jayden that the 49ers don’t want him back. pic.twitter.com/TuG4NUT8fu
Poll
What compensation level would merit Washington adding Brandon Aiyuk this offseason?
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13%
~$30M/year and second round pick.
(168 votes)
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22%
~$30M/year and third round pick.
(295 votes)
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13%
~$30M/year and fourth round pick.
(170 votes)
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34%
I’d rather wait until he’s a free agent next year.
(447 votes)
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16%
I’m not interested.
(209 votes)
1289 votes total Vote Now