Brandon Aiyuk is seeking a new contract from the San Francisco 49ers after three successful seasons with the team. However, the 49ers are not willing to offer him a deal at his desired level. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, the two sides are far apart on an agreement.
The 49ers have several options when it comes to retaining Aiyuk in 2023. They could either keep him at his fifth-year option value of $14.12 million or let him go and sign someone else. If Aiyuk decides to skip training camp and preseason games, he could face fines and damage his relationship with the team. On the other hand, if he opts out of the offseason program, including mandatory minicamp, it could affect his performance in upcoming games.
Aiyuk may feel frustrated that Deebo Samuel received a long-term contract after just three seasons, despite Aiyuk being more productive in 2023. The 49ers must decide whether they are willing to renegotiate Aiyuk’s contract to meet his demands without offering top-of-market pay. With players like Tyreek Hill setting high salary benchmarks for receivers, waiting too long to negotiate could make the deal more expensive in the long run.
Overall, the 49ers must balance their needs as a team with market value and performance when deciding on how to handle Aiyuk’s contract situation.
