While Brandon Aiyuk's contract extension saga remains unsettled, there is clarity regarding the 49ers star wide receivers' perceived asking price while he seeks a new deal from San Francisco.
In speaking on "NFL Live" on Friday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided an update on the ongoing negotiations between Aiyuk and the 49ers, while revealing the potential threshold for the contract the wide receiver is aiming to secure from the team that selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
"San Francisco with Brandon Aiyuk, they have been talking, they have been negotiating," Fowler explained. "Nothing imminent as of yet, but there's certainly a chance. I was told the benchmark here is [Detroit Lions wide receiver] Amon-Ra St. Brown because he got $28 million [per] year on a four-year deal from Detroit. The goal as it appears is for Aiyuk to try to beat that.
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"He doesn't need to be the highest paid in the league, but he's done enough and accomplished enough in that offense where he's probably going to need to be at that number or higher."
St. Brown inked his four-year, $120 million contract on April 24., coming off a breakout 2023 season where the Lions star earned a First-Team All-Pro selection after recording 11 receptions for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Aiyuk recorded fewer receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns than St. Brown last season, but the discrepancy can easily be chalked up to the large difference in targets between the two, with the 49ers wideout feeling the effects of playing in an offense loaded with other superstars.
Although Aiyuk had 59 fewer targets and 44 fewer receptions than St. Brown in 2023, he had only 173 fewer receiving yards -- an indication of how valuable Aiyuk's big-play ability was for the 49ers' high-flying offense. The 26-year-old's 17.9 yards per reception ranked second in the NFL last season, while Aiyuk earned a spot on the Second-Team All-Pro squad.
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It remains to be seen if and when San Francisco will be able to sort out a deal with its budding superstar receiver, who developed invaluable chemistry with franchise quarterback Brock Purdy during their first full campaign together.
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