Deebo Samuel reveals his advice to Brandon Aiyuk amid 49ers WR's holdout from minicamp
San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is one of many players holding out from minicamp this off-season in hopes of getting a new contract. The wide receiver is in the final year of his rookie contract and is looking to secure a long-term deal before the season starts.
Two off-seasons ago, it was wide receiver Deebo Samuel who was in the same position. Samuel held out of training camp and even requested a trade before signing a three-year, $73.5 million contract extension.
Samuel was asked by the media what kind of advice he's given Aiyuk amid his contract negotiations. Being in a similar situation not too long ago, Samuel warned Aiyuk that it's a 'stressful' process.
"As much as I can actually. I know it's a stressful time and he's done a tremendous job throughout his career here and when it comes to things like this, you know, get tough and some things you kind of take personal and it's just like overall it's just a stressful process to be honest with you."
Samuel even requested a trade from the team in lieu of securing a contract extension. Ultimately, though, the Niners signed Samuels to a new deal.
At the end of the day, the NFL is a business and it takes two to tango on meeting somewhere in the middle regarding contract talks.
How much will Brandon Aiyuk get paid with his new contract?
As each day passes by, Brandon Aiyuk's contract number keeps going up. The wide receiver position is one of the fastest-growing positions for players to get paid and it's shown this off-season.
The Detroit Lions gave emerging wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown a four-year $120 million contract extension, paying him $30 million a year.
The Philadelphia Eagles then made AJ Brown the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history, giving him a three-year $96 million deal. Most recently, the Minnesota Vikings gave Justin Jefferson a four-year $140 million deal which drew up the price even more for wide receivers.
Brandon Aiyuk is coming off of a career season where he was named Second-Team All-Pro and set a career-high in receiving yards (1,342) while scoring seven touchdowns.
There are other wide receivers such as CeeDee Lamb, and Tee Higgins who are also looking for new contracts. When Aiyuk, Lamb, and Higgins sign new contracts, they should easily exceed $20 million per year, if not $25 million the way the wide receiver market keeps exploding.