Brandon Aiyuk Drama Finally Comes to an End
There has been a ton of smoke and drama with Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco this offseason. At the start of the offseason, Brandon Aiyuk made it clear he wanted a contract extension with the 49ers. However, the 49ers extended just about every other player including Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings instead of Aiyuk because he consistently rejected their offers and insisted on a higher number. Many even thought that Aiyuk may get traded and replaced by the first-round rookie wide receiver the 49ers took out of Florida, Ricky Pearsall. However, after all the drama, Aiyuk will be staying put with the 49ers on a new four-year deal, worth $120 million.
This deal comes just after CeeDee Lamb got signed with the Cowboys for four years, worth $136 million, a few days ago. With Aiyuk and Lamb signed to their respective teams, the last prominent wide receiver to sign with their team is Ja’Marr Chase, but his situation is a bit different from Aiyuk and Lamb. Chase still has two years left on his deal, so the Bengals have more leverage on Chase to not make a deal with him. With Aiyuk and Lamb, they were entering the last year of their contracts so therefore if they didn’t get a deal this offseason they likely would have walked in free agency or gotten stuck playing on a franchise tag next year. These new contracts will provide them with security and a good payday, which is well-deserved for these dominant wide receivers.
For the 49ers, they are ensuring that their great wide receiver stays with them for the long term as they try and get back to the Super Bowl. With Brock Purdy still on an incredibly cheap rookie deal, they can afford to pay out big money to their other skill position players, but only for a few more years. Aiyuk is perhaps the only true wide receiver they have on the roster, with Deebo Samuel becoming more of a gadget receiver in this 49ers offense. With Aiyuk now locked up on this roster, and hopefully the distasteful drama of this contract situation in the past, the 49ers need to now quickly turn their focus to the regular season, which is rapidly approaching, as they look to be a serious contender this season.
