Amon-Ra St. Brown’s Massive 4-Year $120 Million Contract Set as Benchmark by Brandon Aiyuk as SF Contemplate Options

The NFL offseason is heating up like a summer grill, and one player who’s got his eye on a juicy new contract is Brandon Aiyuk, the San Francisco 49ers’ go-to receiver. As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported, Aiyuk aims to match or surpass the lucrative four-year, $120 million extension with $77 million guaranteed that Amon-Ra St. Brown recently inked with the Detroit Lions. It’s a bold move, but then again, Aiyuk’s performance last season was nothing to sneeze at – he led the Niners in catches (75) and receiving yards (1,342), proving he’s one of Brock Purdy’s main targets in crunch time.

According to Fowler, Aiyuk seeks to be within the $28-$30 million a year mark that players like Tyreek Hill are being paid. Yet, there’s a catch: Aiyuk’s terms of engagement don’t sit well with the 49ers. In 2025, the team is expected to go over the salary cap and accept Aiyuk’s request for “show me the money,” which could imply some difficult decisions. Head coach Kyle Shanahan’s words on Tuesday were as follows: “I wish they were here, but it’s something that’s part of the business part you try to respect it. Stay out of it as much as possible. Look forward to the days when we can just focus on football.”

This is ironic since Aiyuk’s deal isn’t only causing migraines in the Bay Area. With Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and CeeDee Lamb all due for massive extensions soon, things are about to heat up in the wide receiver market as a Texas summer day does. There is no doubt St.Brown indicated through his contract what elite wideouts cost today. Aiyuk wants in on the action as well.

But while Purdy is firmly in Aiyuk’s corner, saying via NBC Sports, “Yeah, I think it’s extremely important. He is a playmaker. Love throwing to him. Love B.A. as a person. So yeah, it’s definitely important,” not everyone is convinced Aiyuk will get his way. Former NFL wide receiver Greg Jennings bluntly stated on The Carton Show, “However, Brandon, I, you get as great as he is. He’s not going to get that money.”

To complicate matters further, Aiyuk’s absence from voluntary OTAs has fueled speculation about a potential trade demand – though his agent insists that’s not the case. And let’s not forget the 49ers raised eyebrows by drafting Florida wideout Ricky Pearsall in the first round, a move that could signal a willingness to part ways with either Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. As Rob Parker warned on the “Odd Couple” segment, “If I’m the 49ers and they start to get rid of those key, some of the clutch key performers that have been a big part and the reason that they’ve been to the Super Bowl twice…that window Chris, that was open, might be closing and or might be closed.”

49ers face cap crunch, tough choices on star receiver Brandon Aiyuk and others

While Aiyuk’s contract demands are grabbing headlines, the real dilemma facing the 49ers is how to manage their star-studded roster without going broke. It’s a classic case of too much talent and insufficient cap space – a problem most teams would kill to have, but a headache nonetheless.

These numbers are intriguing: San Francisco will find themselves over the salary cap in future seasons, so they’ll have some difficult decisions about who is retained and who is released. It’s an unenviable task, like picking between your favorite children, except all their offspring are Pro Bowl-worthy players such as George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Christian McCaffrey.

Samuel has been the subject of trade rumors for a while now – he has served up many performances that almost burned down defenses. The loss of such talent would severely injure the 49ers’ offense; however, it could also create some space under the cap to retain Aiyuk and others.

Then there is Kittle – a tight end with better hands than most wide receivers – and McCaffrey – a running back who can do anything on his own, including being his team’s offensive backbone at times during last season. They won’t come cheap if these guys stick around, and unless they want their Super Bowl contender lineup from disappearing, then 49ers management will need to come up with new ideas.