San Francisco 49ers leading wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk may not be forcing way off the team with a trade demand right now as he seeks a contract extension, but he seems to have drawn a line in the sand on where his contract negotiations will start.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler via ProFootballTalk, Aiyuk is seeking a contract that is larger than the one that Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown recently received. Per the report, Aiyuk’s goal is to reach “that number or higher” in a new deal with the 49ers.
The number in question is $28-30 million per year. Last month, St. Brown signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension with the Lions following his First-Team All-Pro campaign.
2023 was a career year for Aiyuk, who had a career-high 1,342 receiving yards and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors. He has yet to make the Pro Bowl.
The 49ers aren’t exactly flush with cap space right now though. OverTheCap.com estimates that the team has less than $7 million in cap space right now and is deeply in the red for 2025.
But the 49ers also probably can’t afford to just let their leading wide receiver walk for nothing.
Will the 49ers be able to reach a new contract agreement with Brandon Aiyuk before the season?