Despite Sitting Out, Brandon Aiyuk Stands Two Years Away From $30 Million Deal

Niners wideout Brandon Aiyuk has been diligently speaking about his impending extension, sometimes cryptically and other times quite openly. Just a couple of weeks after his team’s loss in Super Bowl LVIII, the star receiver made it clear that he was looking to get paid—and paid well. On the back of his 1,300-yard career year, he presumably hopes to sign a deal that fetches him north of $30 million.

Well, as of today, the 49ers have not done anything. And according to former NFL executive Randy Mueller, the wideout has played himself into a weak hand. The club stands to lose nothing financially this year, and at the same time, Aiyuk holds no leverage over them this year. Even if they opt out of an extension, they can get him on the franchise tag for the 2025 season.

Essentially, that implies that Aiyuk stands two and a half years away from signing a highly awaited extension. This year, he will have to play at a $14.124 million salary. And for 2025, he could get franchise tagged for around $22-$25 million. These are not shabby numbers by any measure, but Aiyuk is surely expecting Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill-like treatment, especially considering the rumors.

Since there aren’t many tools at an athlete’s disposal to hurry the negotiation talk, they use social media and other media to try to get the word out. Aiyuk has actively been doing that through his platforms as well. But according to Mueller, it doesn’t put any pressure on the office, and they are going to handle the situation as they deem fit either way.

Mueller firmly believes that media coverage turns into a publicity mechanism, especially in the off-season. Therefore, at the end of the day, most of it is rumors, and the team isn’t under pressure here; Aiyuk is.

“So he can play these games, he can try to do these things and create distractions. And the media will bite on it andthe media will run with it because, like you just said, we don’t have a lot to talk about, especially this time of year. So we’re going to make it into a bigger deal than it really is,” Mueller said.

On paper, they still have 2 years to pay him. And with the way the roster is built with Christian McCaffery, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle, the 49ers might not be able to afford Aiyuk’s demands. If that will be the case for his future, it might be smart for Aiyuk to look for a new scenery.

Brandon Aiyuk and Jayden Daniels Keep Fanning the Fire

Yesterday, Aiyuk was yet again seen with Jayden Daniels, out and about enjoying the off-season. Although this meeting was seemingly harmless, in a previous interaction between the two, they were discussing a sensitive topic that went viral on social media. In the clip, Aiyuk loudly announced to Daniels that “they” didn’t want him back. To which the Commander’s future starting QB replied with a confusing laugh.

Ever since then, rumors of him going to the Commanders have been flooding the internet. But the reality of the situation in San Francisco does not change. Moreover, Fans do believe that all of their social media activity indicates Daniels is strongly supporting his former college mate and that Aiyuk also wants to move on from the situation.

Although there are no technical reasons why San Francisco would feel any pressure from a player who is 2 years away from being a proper free agent, the locker room presence dictates a lot of how these situations go. If Aiyuk’s discontentment leaks into the season and pre-season training camp, things could get ugly, and the budding relationship of 4 years between the two sides could end up being soured before the season starts.