SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The dramatic roller-coaster journey that has been the high-stakes contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and extensive receiver Brandon Aiyuk ended the place all of it started when this began greater than six months in the past — with the Niners and Aiyuk sticking collectively for the lengthy haul.
Aiyuk and the Niners on Thursday agreed to phrases on a four-year, $120 million contract extension that can hold him in San Francisco by means of the 2028 season, sources instructed ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It is the identical deal that has been on the desk from the 49ers since Aug. 12, league sources instructed Schefter.
The extension consists of $76 million assured, with $47 million to be paid to Aiyuk earlier than April 1, 2025, a supply instructed ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Aiyuk joins Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill because the fifth-highest-paid receivers within the NFL with a median annual worth of $30 million per season.
PlayerAAVNick Bosa$34MBrandon Aiyuk$30MDeebo Samuel$23.85MTrent Williams$23.01MJavon Hargrave$21MFred Warner$19.045MChristian McCaffrey$19MGeorge Kittle$15M
The deal comes on the heels of maybe essentially the most contentious transfer but in these negotiations because the Niners publicly declared Aiyuk wholesome on Wednesday with coach Kyle Shanahan and basic supervisor John Lynch saying they anticipated him to take part in follow.
Aiyuk didn’t follow Wednesday or Thursday, opening himself as much as the potential for staff self-discipline. Thursday’s settlement, nevertheless, ensures Aiyuk can spend the subsequent 10 days getting ready for the Sept. 9 opener in opposition to the New York Jets.
For almost two years earlier than the extension was completed, the Niners maintained they all the time meant to re-sign Aiyuk. There was loads of doubt about that final result in current weeks after the wideout requested a commerce simply earlier than the beginning of coaching camp on July 23.
Not lengthy after, the Niners — for the primary time — appeared critical about buying and selling Aiyuk.
With sturdy curiosity from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, the 49ers and Aiyuk evaluated their choices. To make a deal work, a staff was going to should fulfill each the Niners as nicely Aiyuk’s calls for for a profitable contract extension.
Whereas every of these groups was seemingly in a position to test a type of bins, neither may do each, which helped the Niners and Aiyuk return to the negotiating desk to work out their variations.
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The consequence was a long-awaited deal that ensures the Niners’ prime wideout is not going anyplace as San Francisco pursues the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy that has narrowly evaded it in 4 of the previous 5 seasons.
Now the Niners not solely have their finest receiver for one more run on the Tremendous Bowl, however they will hold him with quarterback Brock Purdy as a part of the staff’s main offensive basis for the subsequent 5 years.
In 2023, Aiyuk had a breakout season, main the Niners in receiving yards (1,342) whereas ending ninth within the NFL in receiving yards per sport (83.9), second in yards per reception (17.9) and first in yards per goal (12.9) on his approach to a second-team All-Professional nod. His return additionally means the Niners may have the identical beginning 11 on offense from final 12 months, with Aiyuk in a position to staff with fellow wideouts Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, whereas rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing develop.
YearPlayerTmYPT2023Brandon AiyukSF12.92011Victor CruzNYG12.12023Nico CollinsHOU12.02021Deebo SamuelSF11.8>>YPT: Yards per goal; min. 100 targets– ESPN Stats & Info
To succeed in this level, after all, it took loads of time and endurance on each side. Quickly after the 49ers misplaced Tremendous Bowl LVIII in February, Aiyuk mentioned he would keep in San Francisco “if it was the best transfer.”
Requested what that will appear like, Aiyuk mentioned merely, “being a champion.”
From there, issues appeared to get extra contentious after Lynch insisted on the league conferences in March that the staff needed to pay Aiyuk. After these feedback, Aiyuk posted a collection of emojis to his Instagram story that translated to “cash talks, bulls— walks.”
April’s NFL draft introduced one other essential benchmark within the negotiations. On the time, Lynch and Shanahan made it clear that they’d hearken to calls on their receiver simply as they’d every other participant however nonetheless had no want to maneuver on from Aiyuk.
“I’ve communicated on many events: our want is that he is right here and a part of the Niners for the remainder of his profession,” Lynch mentioned in April. “We’re working by means of that. … I can say we’re having good talks, and I am simply going to go away it at that.”
Due to that, a commerce involving Aiyuk was all the time going to require a considerable return coming to San Francisco. Throughout draft weekend, no offers had been ever shut, and Lynch and Shanahan once more emphasised the need to re-sign Aiyuk, even after spending their first-round choose (No. 31 total) on Pearsall.
The Niners choosing Pearsall provided some perception into the state of the connection between the staff and Aiyuk, who performed briefly with Pearsall at Arizona State. Moments after the choose, Aiyuk texted Lynch and Shanahan, “Fireplace choose, I can not lie.”
Aiyuk stayed away from the staff’s offseason program and he additionally didn’t present up for the full-squad minicamp in early June, incurring greater than $101,000 in fines because the negotiations reached a brief stalemate.
Within the meantime, different receivers across the league reeled in massive contracts:
These offers concurrently supplied an overview for a possible Aiyuk deal and drove his value greater, which contributed to his eventual commerce request.
Simply earlier than the Niners opened coaching camp on July 23, Aiyuk formally requested a commerce. Even after that, Lynch insisted that Aiyuk was prone to stick round at the very least by means of this season, with sources telling ESPN that different groups had reached out about buying and selling for Aiyuk solely to be instructed that the Niners had little interest in dealing him.
“We absolutely intend on Brandon being a Niner shifting ahead,” Lynch mentioned July 23. “We’re all the time open to hearken to issues however like I mentioned, we count on Brandon to be an integral a part of our staff like he has been and enthusiastic about that.”
Aiyuk then reported to coaching camp together with his teammates, although he didn’t take part in any practices. He did, nevertheless, participate in conferences and watched practices from the sideline.
Regardless of a wild week, an Aiyuk commerce to the Steelers or every other staff by no means materialized, and the perimeters restarted the discussions that lastly yielded an extension. Earlier than Thursday’s deal, Aiyuk was slated to play the 2024 season beneath the fifth-year possibility that got here commonplace with the rookie contract he signed in 2020, which might have paid him $14.124 million.
That is the fifth 12 months in a row that the 49ers have re-signed one in all their stars both simply earlier than coaching camp or throughout: tight finish George Kittle (2020), linebacker Fred Warner (2021), Samuel (2022) and Nick Bosa (2023).
Aiyuk is simply the second first-round choose (together with Bosa) the Niners have made beneath Lynch and Shanahan to signal a second contract with the staff.
