49ers want to approve Brandon Aiyuk's fifth-year option
The San Francisco 49ers are on the verge of making another big decision with one of their wide receivers: the deadline to approve Brandon Aiyuk's fifth-year option is coming up, soon. And it's approaching, fast. The 49ers have until May 1 to decide whether or not they want to pay Aiyuk the projected $14.124 million […]
The San Francisco 49ers are on the verge of making another big decision with one of their wide receivers: the deadline to approve Brandon Aiyuk's fifth-year option is coming up, soon.
And it's approaching, fast.
The 49ers have until May 1 to decide whether or not they want to pay Aiyuk the projected $14.124 million he'll be owed in 2024. Based off what we've seen, so far -and what the 49ers have seen so far- why wouldn't they want to sign off on that?
According to what 49ers general manager John Lynch said Monday, the franchise should approve Aiyuk's fifth-year option in the coming weeks.
“Brandon’s been excellent for us,” Lynch told reporters Monday. “I’d be shocked if we didn’t [approve his option]. We still have some time … We’re still discussing, but it probably makes sense to do that for Brandon. He’s a really good player …
“He’s a guy [that] we’re very fortunate to have and he’s just coming into his own, too. He’s only going to get better. So, we’re excited about watching Brandon move forward with us.”
Aiyuk led the 49ers in both receptions (78) and receiving yards (1,015) in 2022. He finished second to only All-Pro tight end George Kittle in receiving touchdowns (8 to 11) and he led the team with 13.0 yards per reception when excluding reserve players like Ross Dwelley, Ray-Ray McCloud, Tevin Coleman, and Tyler Kroft.
In other words: Aiyuk is a very good player and his production reflects exactly that.
The former first-rounder will count just under $4 million against the salary cap in 2023, which is a steal when considering what he's done so far throughout his career. It makes all the sense in the world that teams are calling the 49ers and inquiring about potential trade packages that include Aiyuk. When juxtaposing this year's wide receiver crop in both free agency and the draft, teams are better off trading for a proven player like Aiyuk.
The 49ers could also extend Aiyuk, which would lock him up for however many years and reduce his 2024 cap hit, but obviously, they have other decisions like extending Nick Bosa that need to be figured out, first.
