Another day, another dollar! Except for Brandon Aiyuk who has waited for an eternity to negotiate a new deal with the San Francisco 49ers. It’s like watching all the parents collect their kids from school, except only yours isn’t showing up. So, with a chip on his shoulder, the Super Bowl runner up wideout is headed into a new season on a fifth-year optional deal.

This time, the WR who bagged a colossal amount is 27-year-old DJ Moore, who recently secured a 4-year contract with the Chicago Bears and became the third highest paid player in the league as far as guaranteed money is concerned.

Before we get into it, it’s important to rehash Aiyuk’s situation. He’s been struggling to get a deal since the last couple of months. His rookie contract is signed, sealed, and delivered. Now he’s on a 5 year option where the Bay Area team will pay him $14.12 million, which counts against 5.53% of Niners cap hit. But that’s nearly not enough, is it?

After all, he’s dynamic and has a great connection with Brock Purdy for one. Not only that, Aiyuk’s 12.8 yards per reception are the highest in the league for any player with at least 75 targets in a season. A record that many would know was last held by Jordy Nelson for the Green Bay Packers who averaged 13.2 yards per reception with his team in 2011.

While many think that it’s Deebo Samuel and Geerge Kittle who run the show in Bay Area, things couldn’t be any different. Aiyuk’s performance, objectively, is better than both Samuel’s and Kittle’s. While 75 receptions is a bit low, 81.3% of those 75 receptions either led to a first down or a touchdown. If that doesn’t speak volumes about his productivity, then Kittle’s words against him will surely scream support in the capital.

“Aiyuk’s just a phenomenal football player,” Kittle said. “He does everything you want him to do as a wide receiver, including taking touchdowns from me once in a while, which I’m totally OK with. But he’s just such a dynamic receiver and he’s just such a very important part of our offense. So, yes, getting Brandon Aiyuk the money that he deserves — I hope nothing for the best for him,” said Kittle to Ian Rapoport.

Nonetheless, what is clear is that Brandon Aiyuk is an invaluable piece in Shanahan’s offense. After all, the 49ers coach just wants to focus on strength-building and training. “I think it’s good when any of these guys have the business part of the contracts going on and everything, it’s always good to not get too far away from football. At least he can be with the teammates here in meetings, get some work in with the strength and conditioning coach things like that. Hopefully when things work out it just makes it a little bit of a smoother transition,” said Shanahan

To add to this chaos, the Niners are also at a crossroads with Trent Williams, who is also holding out from training. Overall, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding San Francisco, especially when it comes to arguably one of the best, Brandon Aiyuk. The WR who had to recently witness other wide receivers like AJ Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle and DJ Moore get behemoth deals with DJ Moore and his million dollars being added to the list as well.

As Brandon Aiyuk waits, DJ Moore seals a massive contract

The Chicago Bears struggled last year. Justin Fields tried his best, but things just didn’t work out. However, if it weren’t for Justin Fields, DJ Moore wouldn’t have had 96 receptions over 1,364 yards and 8 touchdowns. That’s slightly higher than Brandon Aiyuk and the Bears wideout didn’t even go to a Super Bowl!

Adam Schefter congratulated Moore for his new deal as he wrote on X, “DJ Moore and the Bears reached agreement on a four-year, $110 million extension that includes $82.6M guaranteed. The deal was negotiated by Drew Rosenhaus, Jason Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. Moore now has had the first 10 years of his career years guaranteed, a first in NFL history for a wide receiver.”

While we’re on the topic of deals and being highest paid, it’s imperative to know that Justin Jefferson is making the most amount of guaranteed money in the league ($110 million). He’s followed by AJ Brown with $84 million in guarantees over 3 years. Then we have DJ Moore followed by Amon-Ra St-Brown. But, the concerning part for many fans would be that while Moore and others are cashing out their strengths, the same isn’t the case for Aiyuk, despite a better average than the latest deal holder.

Moreover, the Bears WR never appeared in a Super Bowl, let alone win one, and never made a Pro Bowl. However, it depends on the team and their situation. They now have one of the best offenses in the league with Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen and now, DJ Moore, who is here to stay for a while. Meanwhile, the 49ers and their absence of action have kept Aiyuk on edge.

Earlier, Mike Florio mentioned how Aiyuk is now stuck, and he shouldn’t have given in. In the past, teams like Commanders, Patriots and the Steelers showed some interest in the Bay Area wideout. However, nothing certain made the headlines. Now, as the season approaches all eyes will be on the last year’s Super Bowl runner-up and their team situation. Do you think Aiyuk will be available to bag a new contract? Do let us know in comments.