San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk
The 49ers are just one game away from winning the Lombardi Trophy, but at the same time, their “priorities” for the offseason are being made public. Brandon Aiyuk, a wide receiver, is unsure of what will happen to him following the Super Bowl.
After a successful year in his career, Aiyuk deserves a large contract. Due to salary cap restrictions, a lot of the conjecture has centred on how the 49ers will have to let him go; nevertheless, NFL media source Ian Rapoport recently revealed that re-signing Aiyuk is a “priority” for the team.
Going into his fifth year of option, he had another season with 1000 yards and 18 yards per grab. According to what I gather, the San Francisco 49ers consider this to be a top contractual priority. They intend to keep him on board for a long time,” Rapoport stated in January.
In the last two years, Aiyuk has established himself as one of the top downfield threats in the NFL. However, San Francisco is committed to multiple high-value contracts, so creating room won’t be simple.
Aiyuk’s relationship with quarterback Brock Purdy is too important to overlook, even if it means losing other players. As crucial as maintaining the unity of any other unit on the pitch is keeping the offensive core together.
49ers Salary Cap Situation
As of right now, Spotrac indicates that the 49ers have just $1.37 million in cap space available. Basically, whether or not they extend Aiyuk, they won’t have much leeway and will already need to create room.
Having said that, they can create space by using obvious exchanges, releases, and general contract gimmicks. I think of linebacker Dre Greenlaw. As good as he has been, Matthew Davis of Heavy has noted that San Francisco may save up to $7 million by dealing him.
A trade such as that should also yield a respectable quantity of resources for them. Not only that, but the 49ers front staff doesn’t even have to release players, which is crazy.
Though turning salaries into bonuses could free up a lot of cash, it would first make the wage cap more restrictive. One such deal that might be flipped and free up $15.8 million in space is with wide receiver Deebo Samuel. That would free up an additional $15 million with Trent Williams’s over-the-shoulder deal.
Aiyuk’s Next Contract
Whether it’s a good or bad thing, AIYUK has had his greatest season in the league during contract time. The 49ers would much rather make a decision about his future this summer, even though they can keep him for another year any way.
According to Spotrac, he would likely sign a new contract that would pay him about $23 million year and keep him on for an additional four years. That is expensive, but Aiyuk has proven he is worth it, and receiver contracts have increased significantly over the last five years.
Backloading his agreement will also improve their salary cap predicament. San Francisco could pay him, let’s say, half of that projected $23 million in the first year, and divide the remaining amount over the next several years.
This would enable the 49ers to retain the majority of the squad while keeping an eye on Samuel’s and other players’ circumstances following the 2024 season, when Aiyuk’s contract increases in salary.
