While few expected San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to attend the team's mandatory minicamp this week, it signaled his intent to hold out for a contract extension. Aiyuk aims to become one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL and seeks to avoid playing on the fifth-year option that would pay him $14.124 million.
By staying away from the 49ers this week, Aiyuk faces potential fines totaling $101,716, a number that will only grow if he opts to miss time during training camp—assuming an agreement between player and team isn't reached before then.
Last offseason, when defensive end Nick Bosa held out for his own contract extension, the 49ers decided to forgive his fines. However, Matt Barrows of The Athletic isn't sure the team will be as lenient with Aiyuk.
"All those fines will start piling up in the summer, [and there's] no indication that the 49ers will forgive Aiyuk for absences the way that they did for Nick Bosa," Barrows said today during an interview on Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game.
Despite the current standoff, Barrows expects a deal between Aiyuk and the 49ers to be reached, noting the team's recent success in extending its other star players. However, he acknowledges that these negotiations have been particularly challenging.
"As I've been saying throughout the spring, I mean, I don't wanna say it's contentious, but difficult negotiation right now with Aiyuk," Barrows said. "But so was the Deebo Samuel one, so was the Nick Bosa one and they both eventually got done."
Barrows believes Aiyuk is deserving of a contract similar to the one Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown recently signed, averaging about $30 million annually. The real question is whether the 49ers are willing to meet that number.
Interestingly, San Francisco used the No. 31 overall draft pick on wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who has drawn comparisons to Aiyuk during the offseason program while playing well.
"I would think that that only strengthens the 49ers' stance at this point," Barrows commented. "I still think something's gonna get done. I still think it would be a travesty if Brock Purdy went into this season without his favorite target."
