49ers News: Kyle Shanahan Afraid to Disrupt Locker Room for Brandon Aiyuk as Contract Talks Cause Headaches for HC

Brandon Aiyuk caused a stir off the gridiron field with his recent TikTok saying, “They don’t want me back.” This is his last year with the San Francisco 49ers and he will be eligible for a franchise tag. But wait! He wants to be in the upper echelon of receivers and the 49ers’ locker room might have a problem with it.

On The Colin Cowherd Podcast, Cowherd laid out the 5 staples of the Niners: “Brain of Kyle Shanahan, the legs of Christian McCaffrey, the pass rush of Bosa, versatility of Deebo Samuel, protection of Trent Williams.” Aiyuk is nowhere on that list and, per Cowherd, that’s because of his “value” and not the talent he possesses.

Another guest on the podcast, John Middlekauff also seems to agree with Cowherd’s assessment but gave a different spin on the argument. Per Middlekauff, Aiyuk’s extension might cause envy in the roster and players like Trent Williams and Fred Warner might start to question their value to the Niners. The WR’s supposed extension might attract negative attention and Shanahan might not want to deal with that.

“Brandon Aiyuk is a really good player scheduled to make almost $15 million but they are offering 25-26. He’s like, ‘No, I’m 31.’ Well, you make 31 in that locker room, what, you’re double the value of Fred Warner?” expanded Middlekauff.

Fred Warner recorded a whopping 82 tackles in the last season, had 2.5 sacks, and played every game last season. He also had 4 interceptions and 11 passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked him second highest amongst all the linebackers, with a 90 overall grade. The 49ers don’t have a problem with extending their best-performing players and another example of that is Christian McCaffrey.

There’s no doubt that CMC put up jaw-dropping numbers in the last season. He led the league in rushing yards, touches, scrimmage yards, and scrimmage touchdowns. Also, he was the only non-QB in the MVP conversation and that speaks volumes. If only he didn’t fumble the ball in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs, he might have gotten a deal north of 2-year $38 million extension.

“I could see a scenario where they play this out, which they’re not going to want to do because the drama that comes with that. I could definitely see a trade and I could definitely just see because sometimes a coach ‘just get it done, lets over quote-unquote pay, but then you have to worry about the locker room dynamics.”

So why are the 49ers not making Brandon Aiyuk one of the highest-paid WRs in the league? Well, it comes down to value and not his talent, as mentioned earlier.

Will the 49ers extend Brandon Aiyuk?

We might hear about it sooner or later. But what’s confirmed is that the WR boycotted the mandatory training camp and took a $100k fine. But besides that, there are a few problems with his productivity. Aiyuk never had more than 80 receptions in a season, which means he’s not highly utilized. To compare it with his own teammate Christian McCaffrey, carried the ball 272 times last season and Aiyuk had 75 receptions.

But even less utilized in the team is Deebo Samuel, who’s kept his head down and has been attending the training sessions. In his 5-year career with the 49ers, Samuel had 283 receptions. Meanwhile, Brandon Aiyuk has 269 receptions in his 4-year career with the Niners. But that doesn’t give enough insight into the situation.

The Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had 119 receptions and 1,515 yards this last season. The Lions decided to reward him handsomely with a 4-year $120 million deal. Even CeeDee Lamb, who had 135 receptions and 1,749 yards and 12 TDs last season, didn’t get paid yet. It’s clear that Aiyuk is nowhere near the best receiver and the Niners might want to wait this season so they can give Aiyuk a chance to elevate himself.

If Aiyuk gets franchise-tagged next year, his contract may amount worth up to $26 million a year, which is still decent. This year, Aiyuk is making $14.1 million, while Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams, and Fred Warner will earn more than him. Middlekauff and Cowherd pointed out earlier that the 49ers pay the best of the best handsomely and, for now, Brandon Aiyuk might not befit the criteria.