The 49ers and WR Brandon Aiyuk contract situation is nothing short of a Hollywood movie. With its twists and turns, this drama doesn’t seem to have a conclusion. Aiyuk has been holding out for a contract extension, dragging back several months to the start of this off-season. However, neither party has come to an agreement with Aiyuk now demanding a trade deal. Although multiple teams have reached out to the WR regarding a possible trade move, the 49ers aren’t willing to let their star receiver move.

Right now, it seems like a stalemate between the 49ers and Aiyuk’s contractual demands. To which 3X Super Bowl Champion Mark Schlereth had some interesting views, to say the least. Replying to a comment in X posted by a listener to his Stinkin’ Truth Podcast, Mark said, “I appreciate that and yes, BA had developed into a complete player very excited for him. But generally, you don’t pay guy to him money because he’s a good blocker at the wide receiver position.”

Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, Mark shed some light on the comments he made on his podcast regarding Aiyuk’s contract demands. “Yeah, I didn’t understand like I get I you know I say things rich. And You know I said that on my podcast the Stinkin’ Truth Podcast and um people just go bananas. And I’m like well, where am I missing Bradon Aiyuk all of a sudden being a top 10 WR in the league.” Looks like the three-time Super Bowl champion doesn’t even rank Brandon Aiyuk within his top 10 WRs in the league.

Citing his reason, Mark added, “I’m not saying Brandon Aiyuk isn’t a great player, he’s a great player. But you know when you sit there and say, is he Justin Jefferson? Or is he Davante Adams? or is he one of these true number-one guys well on his own team? He’s the third or fourth you know Target.” Referring to Justin Jefferson, who recently broke the market of WRs by receiving a contract extension worth $140 million for four years. At the same time, Davante Adams for the Raiders received a similar deal back in 2022, while going on to play an integral part in the Las Vegas outfit.

Nonetheless, Aiyuk’s contributions to the 49ers cannot be questioned amid this contractual face-off. As the 26-year-old has pulled off a breakout season where he posted 75 catches for 1,342 yards while adding seven touchdowns. Meanwhile, Aiyuk, who is projected to earn $14.124 million this season under his fifth-year option, is surely eyeing that long-term deal. Thereby putting him closer to other WRs or even his peers like RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Deebo Samuel and TE George Kittle, who recently signed their respective contract extensions with the 49ers?

Will the 49ers reward Brandon Aiyuk with an extension before the NFL season kicks off?

Even though Mark Schlereth has doubled down on his comments regarding Aiyuk not deserving a lucrative contract extension. His teammates have come out in support of Aiyuk’s contractual demands. Speaking about the ‘hold-out’ situation regarding Aiyuk, TE George Kittle said, “I hope he gets the money that he deserves”. He went on to praise Aiyuk’s contributions, saying, “Aiyuk’s just a phenomenal football player. He does everything you want him to do as a WR. Including taking touchdowns from me once in a while, which I’m totally OK with.” Moreover, WR Deebo Samuel also expressed his views on a situation that he went through in 2022.

Speaking with NFL Media, Samuel said, “Overall, it’s a tough situation”. Samuel carried out a hold-out ploy on his own during the 2022 NFL season while going on to request a trade similar to Aiyuk’s wishes. But, the 49ers conceded and gave Samuel a three-year deal worth 73.5 million before the season began. This ain’t all, as back in 2019 when kicker Robbie Gould requested his trade move from the 49ers. He was also given a four-year extension, thereby putting an end to any more drama.

However, it remains to be seen whether the 49ers will reward Aiyuk with the deal he is looking for. Like the San Francisco outfit has done with players like LB Fred Warner, linesman Nick Bosa and TE George Kittle will Aiyuk also get an extension before the new season kicked off?