The Brandon Aiyuk saga in San Francisco has ended and the standout wide receiver is staying put with a new contract in tow.
Aiyuk and the 49ers have agreed to terms on a four-year, $120 million extension with $76 million in guarantees, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Thursday.
It’s the latest — and final — turn in an offseason rollercoaster, as there was a deal in place earlier this month to send Aiyuk to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade, but instead the wide receiver and the 49ers were able to come to terms with the regular season just a week away.
The contract comes just one day after it seemed the two sides were at their most contentious point of the summer.
Aiyuk, 26, sat out practice on Wednesday after conducting a hold-in throughout training camp and the preseason. Garafolo later reported that the team’s stance was that it was now time for Aiyuk to return to the field, regardless of contract status.
“At some point, you’ve got to play,” 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters on Wednesday.
Now, an extension has come to fruition, a pact that puts an end to a crazy ride of uncertainty with one of the team’s most talented players.
The $120 million total value puts Aiyuk just under the Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown $120.01 million in total value, which is fifth in the league. The $30 million average annual value is tied for fifth with the Miami Dolphins Tyreek Hill.
Aiyuk has long sought an extension and then requested a trade in July. Trade speculation initially ramped up during the 2024 NFL Draft and it surrounded Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. The 49ers drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, but no trade materialized and Lynch looked to snuff out any further speculation. That all changed with stalled negotiations and at one point it seemed that Aiyuk was more likely to be moving on from The Bay.
Instead, he’s staying put and head coach Kyle Shanahan is no doubt happier with his star receiver back in the fold.
Aiyuk is an elite wideout in his prime, as he’s coming off a season in which he posted a career-high 1,342 receiving yards to go with 75 receptions and seven touchdowns. It was his second straight 1,000-yard campaign, and even though he was perceived as struggling in his first two seasons, Aiyuk has had at least 55 catches, 745 yards and five TDs in each of his four years.
Training camp contract drama is nothing new for the 49ers, who have dealt with it in three consecutive years following Samuel requesting a trade in 2022 and Nick Bosa holding out in 2023. Both of those were resolved with each getting extensions and remaining crucial cogs on the perennial Super Bowl contenders — just like Aiyuk now. The histrionics haven’t concluded, though, as offensive tackle Trent Williams remains a holdout.
However, the Aiyuk stalemate is done. He’s no longer sitting at the dock of The Bay waiting to get paid, he’s got his new deal.
