San Francisco 49ers star WR Brandon Aiyuk is set to command a hefty new contract with whatever team is willing to pay him. Just how much could the 49ers star be worth?
Today, we answer that question.
Projecting Brandon Aiyuk’s Next Contract
It’s safe to assume that any deal that comes Aiyuk’s way will not be with the 49ers. The team drafted two receivers within the first four rounds of the 2024 draft and doesn’t have much cap space to begin with.
Plus, a team with highly paid stars on both sides of the ball has to prepare itself for Brock Purdy’s eventual extension next offseason.
As of the start of this week, talks between the 49ers and other organizations have ramped up as the first week of the preseason draws closer.
Steelers and 49ers re-engaged in conversations mid-day today regarding Brandon Aiyuk, per league sources. As of Monday night, the 49ers-Steelers talks stalled. But there have been further conversations today in an ever-fluid situation that still involves other teams as well.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2024
If a trade to the Steelers or another organization is officially made in the coming days, the next step of the process would be for that new team to lock Aiyuk up to a long-term deal.
For any trade to become official for Aiyuk, the team that wants to deal for him will need to give him the kind of contract he’s looking for. That range of $25 to $30 million appears to be a fair enough spot to make the Arizona State product happy enough to leave the place where he’s been to two Super Bowls.
In that regard, there are some previous sign and trade contracts for top receivers that could compare favorably to what Aiyuk is looking for.
On draft night of 2022, A.J. Brown signed a four-year, $100 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles worth an average of around $25 million. In that same offseason, the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, who signed the All-Pro to a four-year, $120 million deal.
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Could Aiyuk find a deal somewhere in the middle of both Brown and Hill in that regard? If any conversation with the two-time 1,000-yard receiver is to continue, that number is a fair starting point for any organization.
Teams are willing and able to do that as well.
The New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns each have the cap space needed to lock up Aiyuk to a long-term extension. Cleveland has $29 million in space, while the Patriots have over $40 million.
The Pittsburgh Steelers also remain a key player in talks between the 49ers and Aiyuk. The 26-year-old wideout has a strong relationship with head coach Mike Tomlin and has welcomed a move to Pittsburgh should a trade happen.
Pittsburgh has just $15 million in cap space at this point in the offseason, so it would have to work to better equalize the cost of bringing Aiyuk on board.
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On that side, the Steelers may have a contract offer with Aiyuk relatively figured out, but they also need the 49ers to approve their trade request first.
So there we are.
Aiyuk is looking for a contract that will put him in line with some of the highest-paid receivers in the game, while the 49ers are looking for fair compensation for their top receiver.
How will this end? That has yet to be determined.