Brandon Aiyuk could benefit with Christian McCaffrey's $38,000,000 extension amid 49ers WR's hold out, says NFL insider
The San Francisco 49ers are going through a big dilemma with their team-building approach. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is looking for a new deal instead of playing the final year of his rookie contract, and with most of the pieces of the offense already locked up, Aiyuk is looking for improved terms with the new wide receiver market.
Except that, out of nowhere, what the 49ers did this offseason was extend Christian McCaffrey and not Aiyuk, in a move that left plenty of people in shock. They also went after wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the draft, which was another sign that they're preparing for a life without Aiyuk.
According to analyst Colin Cowherd, this was all part of a plan: the 49ers had to extend McCaffrey before Aiyuk in order not to put the running back's price tag out of reach when they got to the negotiation table with him:
They did get Christian McCaffrey done aggressively, and I think they had to do McCaffrey before they did Aiyuk because, if you pay Aiyuk $29-$30-$31 million a year, the price of McCaffrey might go up, so, you had to take care of McCaffrey first. The second thing is, you know our mutual friend Mike Silver reported, that they were $26 million [Brandon Aiyuk's asking price]. That's not that far off. And a lot of times, these things get ugliest towards the end, and the Deebo thing was not clean until it was at the very end.
Brandon Aiyuk vs. 49ers: Should fans be concerned?
When you look at the salary cap situation of the San Francisco 49ers, it's understandable why they're wary of making any long-term commitment to Brandon Aiyuk.
We have seen plenty of wide receiver trades in the last two years and the reason is simple: you either pay your quarterback or your wide receiver. It's no surprise that names like Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown got moved in 2022: you don't want to use such a huge portion of the cap for two players alone.
So, yes, fans should be concerned. Brandon Aiyuk ascended to the condition of number one receiver on the team, making plays with his speed, agility and underrated route-running. If he leaves, the team will miss him a lot.