Sources: Niners, Aiyuk attain $120M extension

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The dramatic rollercoaster experience that has been the high-stakes contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and extensive receiver Brandon Aiyuk ended the place all of it started when this began greater than six months in the past — with the Niners and Aiyuk sticking collectively for the lengthy haul.

Aiyuk and the Niners on Thursday agreed to phrases on a four-year, $120 million contract extension that may preserve him in San Francisco by way of the 2028 season, sources instructed ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

It is the identical deal that has been on the desk from the 49ers since Aug. 10, league sources instructed Schefter.

Aiyuk joins Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill because the fifth-highest-paid receiver within the NFL with a mean annual worth of $30 million per season.

The deal comes on the heels of maybe essentially the most contentious transfer but in these negotiations because the Niners publicly declared Aiyuk wholesome on Wednesday with coach Kyle Shanahan and common supervisor John Lynch saying they anticipated him to take part in apply.

Aiyuk didn’t apply Wednesday or Thursday, opening himself as much as the potential for crew self-discipline. Thursday’s settlement, nonetheless, ensures Aiyuk can spend the subsequent 10 days making ready for the Sept. 9 opener towards the New York Jets.

For practically two years earlier than the extension was completed, the Niners maintained they all the time supposed to re-sign Aiyuk. There was loads of doubt about that consequence in current weeks after the wideout requested a commerce simply earlier than the beginning of coaching camp on July 23.

Not lengthy after, the Niners — for the primary time — appeared severe about buying and selling Aiyuk.

With sturdy curiosity from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, the 49ers and Aiyuk evaluated their choices. To make a deal work, a crew was going to need to fulfill each the Niners as effectively Aiyuk’s calls for for a profitable contract extension.

Whereas every of these groups was seemingly in a position to test a kind of bins, neither might do each, which helped the Niners and Aiyuk return to the negotiating desk to work out their variations.

The outcome was a long-awaited deal that ensures the Niners high wideout is not going wherever as San Francisco pursues the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy that has narrowly evaded them in 4 of the previous 5 seasons.

Upon retaining Aiyuk, the Niners not solely have their finest receiver for one more run on the Tremendous Bowl this yr however may also preserve him with quarterback Brock Purdy as a part of the Niners’ main offensive basis for the subsequent 5 years.

In 2023, Aiyuk had a breakout season, main the Niners in receiving yards (1,342), ending ninth within the NFL in receiving yards per recreation (83.9), second in yards per reception (17.9) and first in yards per goal (12.9) on his approach to a second-team All-Professional nod. His return additionally means the Niners might have the identical beginning 11 on offense from final yr with Aiyuk in a position to crew with fellow wideouts Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings whereas rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing develop.

To succeed in this level, after all, it took loads of time and persistence on each side. Quickly after the 49ers misplaced Tremendous Bowl LVIII in February, Aiyuk mentioned he would keep in San Francisco “if it was the correct transfer.” Requested what that will appear like, Aiyuk mentioned, merely “being a champion.”

From there, issues appeared to get extra contentious after Lynch insisted on the league conferences in March that the crew needed to pay Aiyuk. After these feedback, Aiyuk posted a sequence of emojis to his Instagram story that translated to “cash talks, bulls— walks.”

April’s NFL draft introduced one other vital benchmark within the negotiations. On the time, Lynch and Shanahan made it clear that they might take heed to calls on their receiver simply as they might another participant however nonetheless had no need to maneuver on from Aiyuk.

“I’ve communicated on many events: our want is that he is right here and a part of the Niners for the remainder of his profession,” Lynch mentioned in April. “We’re working by way of that… I can say we’re having good talks, and I am simply going to depart it at that.”

Due to that, a commerce involving Aiyuk was all the time going to require a considerable return coming to San Francisco. Throughout draft weekend, no offers had been ever shut and Lynch and Shanahan once more emphasised their need to re-sign Aiyuk, even after spending their first-round decide (No. 31 general) on Pearsall.

The Niners deciding on Pearsall supplied some perception into the state of the connection between the crew and Aiyuk, who performed briefly with Pearsall at Arizona State. Moments after the decide. Aiyuk texted Lynch and Shanahan “Fireplace decide, I am unable to lie.”

Whereas Aiyuk stayed away from the crew’s offseason program, he didn’t present up for the total squad minicamp in early June, incurring greater than $101,000 in fines because the negotiations reached a short lived stalemate.

Within the meantime, different receivers across the league reeled in huge contracts. The Eagles’ DeVonta Smith (three years, $75 million with $51 million assured), Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown (4 years, $120.012 million with $77 million assured), Miami’s Jaylen Waddle (three years, $84.75 million with $76 million assured), Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown (three years, $96 million with $84 million assured), Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (4 years, $140 million with $110 million assured) and Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb (4 years, $136 million with $100 million assured) all signed earlier than Aiyuk.

These offers concurrently offered a top level view for a possible Aiyuk deal and drove his worth increased, which contributed to his eventual commerce request.

Simply earlier than the Niners opened coaching camp on July 23, Aiyuk formally requested a commerce. Even after that, Lynch insisted that Aiyuk was prone to stick round at the very least by way of this season with sources telling ESPN’s Adam Schefter that different groups had reached out about buying and selling for Aiyuk solely to be instructed that they’ve little interest in dealing him.

“We totally intend on Brandon being a Niner transferring ahead,” Lynch mentioned on July 23. “We’re all the time open to take heed to issues however like I mentioned, we anticipate Brandon to be an integral a part of our crew like he has been and enthusiastic about that.”

Aiyuk then reported to coaching camp along with his teammates, although he didn’t take part in any practices. He did, nonetheless, participate in conferences and watched practices from the sideline.

Regardless of a wild week of forwards and backwards and hypothesis, an Aiyuk commerce to the Steelers or another crew by no means materialized and the edges re-started the discussions that lastly yielded an extension. Earlier than Thursday’s deal, Aiyuk was slated to play the 2024 season below the fifth-year choice that got here normal with the rookie contract he signed in 2020. That will have paid him $14.124 million.

That is the fifth yr in a row the 49ers have re-signed considered one of their stars both simply earlier than coaching camp or throughout it. They signed tight finish George Kittle in 2020, linebacker Fred Warner in 2021, Samuel in 2022 and Bosa in 2023. Aiyuk is simply the second first-round decide (together with Bosa) the Niners have made below Lynch and Shanahan to signal a second contract with the crew.