SANTA CLARA — The 49ers opened their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday without wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who remains away from the team while seeking a long-term contract.
Aiyuk is under contract to the 49ers with a scheduled salary of $14.124 million for the upcoming season. But he is looking to cash in on the exploding wide receiver market with a contract extension that pays him among the top players in the game.
Currently, 25 receivers in the game make more than $20 million per season, led by Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, who signed an extension worth $35 million annually on Monday.
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Aiyuk has not taken part in the voluntary portion of the 49ers' offseason program. Now, he is subject to fines totaling $104,259 for skipping the three-day mandatory minicamp, as outlined in the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
Aiyuk, 26, is coming off a season in which he was selected as a second-team Associated Press All-Pro. He caught 75 passes for a career-best 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns.
He entered the NFL in 2020 as a first-round draft pick from Arizona State. In 62 regular-season games over his first four seasons, Aiyuk has 269 catches for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns.
The 49ers picked up the fifth-year option on Aiyuk to retain him for another year beyond the initial four-year, $12.5 million deal he signed as the No. 25 overall selection.
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If the 49ers and Aiyuk do not come together on a new contract, Aiyuk would be forced to play this season on his current contract before being eligible for unrestricted free agent next offseason.
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