Brandon Aiyuk's projected contract would put 49ers in a tough spot with Brock Purdy negotiation on the horizon

With the 2024 NFL Draft out of the way and Brandon Aiyuk still a member of the San Francisco 49ers, trade talk surrounding the All-Pro wide receiver has dissipated, with the focus turning to when the Niners will sign him to an extension and how much it will cost them to do so.

A to Z Sports provided a projected answer to the latter question, with contract experts Josh Queipo and Kyle DeDiminicantanio using the example of the contract A.J. Brown signed after being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 to look at what Aiyuk may receive from the Niners or from another team if San Francisco was to reverse course and trade him.

Brown signed a four-year deal worth $100 million after his trade to Philadelphia, but as Queipo and DeDiminicantanio point out, Aiyuk's numbers over the last three seasons are superior to those put up by Brown in his three seasons leading up to the trade. Aiyuk led the way in every category except for yards per catch, yards per route run and touchdowns.

So what would Aiyuk be in position to receive? Let's let the experts explain.

Queipo and DeDiminicantanio wrote:

Simply adjusting for cap inflation; the NFL salary cap has risen 23% since 2022 from $208.2 million to $255.4. That would set the market for Aiyuk at four years and $122.5 million and an APY of $30.625 million, just barely outpacing the current position high-water mark of $30 million held by Miami receiver Tyreek Hill. Interestingly, while Hill’s APY is technically the top of the market, in actuality the deal is more of a three-year, $75 million contract with a true APY of $25 million. Aiyuk’s deal would easily supplant Hill’s total along with the rest of the market who’s true leader is Cooper Kupp and his $26.7 million APY.

Aiyuk asking for that kind of average annual salary would put a franchise likely preparing to pay Brock Purdy next year in a difficult position, and Queipo and DeDiminicantanio believe the 49ers' top receiver may be in a position to ask for even more, pointing to the fact his 2023 season, in which he went for 1,491 yards and eight touchdowns (including playoffs), is superior to any campaign Brown put together prior to his trade.

As such, they have his final contract projection as a four-year deal worth a massive $125 million with $56.25 million fully guaranteed.

Aiyuk's average annual salary of $31.25 million would, coincidentally, make him the second-highest paid receiver by that measure behind only Brown, who has an AAV of $32 million after receiving another extension from the Eagles this offseason.

Acquiescing to such demands from Aiyuk would put the 49ers in a difficult position for next year, when Purdy may ask to become the highest-paid player in the NFL. The 49ers would like to keep as many of their stars as possible as Purdy becomes expensive, but paying him after giving Aiyuk that kind of deal would almost certainly see them have to make sacrifices elsewhere, even at a time when the salary cap continues to go up.

But the 49ers knew the bill would come due eventually having done an excellent job of collecting talent via the draft and free agency under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. The challenge they face is to find a middle ground that can satisfy both parties in their negotiation with Aiyuk and in their talks with Purdy next year. It won't be easy, but that is the price of being one of the best teams in the NFL.