49ers, WR Brandon Aiyuk realized they are better together

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In the most heated moments between the San Francisco 49ers and receiver Brandon Aiyuk, there was an inescapable feeling that each side wanted to walk away from the table believing it had “won” the negotiation.

That desire led to a staring contest that finally, mercifully, came to an end Thursday when the Niners and Aiyuk agreed on a four-year, $120 million deal that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2028 season, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

According to league sources, Aiyuk accepted the same deal that had been on the table since Aug. 12.

After six or so months of public back and forth, trade demands and nearly completed deals, the real winners in this battle are logic and common sense.

This isn’t necessarily a marriage born out of love so much as necessity. If the Niners are to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders this year and beyond, they need their best pure receiver in the fold. If Aiyuk is to continue to rack up All-Pro seasons and stay in the mix for the Super Bowl ring he narrowly missed out on last year, he needs the 49ers.

Despite the rocky moments and near trades that led to this point, this was the conclusion that made the most sense, even if that occasionally got lost in arguments over dollars and cents along the way.

Upon keeping Aiyuk, the Niners did the thing they always do around this time of year, signing one of their foundational players for the long term late in the summer. They previously did it with tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner, receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and defensive end Nick Bosa.

All except Bosa took less time than Aiyuk, but it was clear for much longer than just the past few months that this was the outcome the 49ers wanted. As far back as the 2023 league meeting in Phoenix, the Niners were already rebuffing trade offers for Aiyuk with an eye on signing him long term.

At the time, Aiyuk was coming off a solid third season in which he posted 78 receptions for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns. But 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch thought Aiyuk was on the verge of a breakthrough and believed that he would take another step with a full season paired with quarterback Brock Purdy.

That’s exactly what happened as Aiyuk quickly became Purdy’s favorite target because of his ability to beat man and zone coverage, dominate in the intermediate middle of the field and make plays deep.

The result was a career season in which he finished with 75 catches for 1,342 yards (seventh in the NFL) and seven touchdowns while finishing second in the league in yards per reception (17.9), first in yards per target (12.9) and third in yards per route run (3.26).

Philosophically, the Niners want to reward their homegrown A-list players and openly acknowledge that they’d rather invest resources into skill position players who score touchdowns than, say, the offensive line. Both of which made re-signing Aiyuk of the utmost importance even if his price got a little higher than the Niners wanted to go.

Perhaps rookie Ricky Pearsall could have eventually become a capable Aiyuk replacement but the Niners know from experience what a risky proposition that is.

San Francisco learned the hard way in 2020 when it traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner as his price got too high. They then used the pick acquired for Buckner on tackle Javon Kinlaw, a massive mistake that required signing Javon Hargrave to an $84 million contract to fix that issue.

From Aiyuk’s perspective, staying with the Niners was also the rational outcome. He’s from Rocklin, California, about three hours away from Levi’s Stadium, grew up a Niners fan and has a home in the Bay Area. The 49ers are the only team Aiyuk has ever known, he has worked his way into his current role and he exemplifies everything the Niners want in a wideout with his tenacious run blocking complementing his pass-catching ability.

Since Aiyuk entered the league in 2020, the Niners have been to at least the NFC Championship Game in three of four years. While he has to share the offensive load with Samuel, Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey, among others, that collection of talent also provides plenty of one-on-one opportunities for Aiyuk in the passing game.

Those chances have translated into success, especially with Purdy at the helm. Aiyuk and Purdy worked well together from the moment Purdy took over in Week 13 of the 2022 season. In 22 regular-season games together since, Aiyuk ranks 10th in the NFL in receiving yards per game (77.5), third in yards per reception (16.7), first in yards per target (11.8) and third in yards per route run (2.92).

In 40 games before Purdy became the starter, Aiyuk was targeted 6.4 times per game, nearly the same amount as he has been with Purdy starting (6.5). In those games, Aiyuk averaged 55.6 receiving yards, 13.3 yards per reception, 8.8 yards per target and 1.8 yards per routes run.

All of which is to say that while keeping Aiyuk is huge for Purdy, it’s equally important for Aiyuk to have some stability with a quarterback with whom he has strong chemistry. That’s especially true when compared with the uncertain long-term quarterback situations for trade suitors such as New England, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

And while Aiyuk might have been in position for an increased workload elsewhere, his new contract means he should be around long enough to eventually ascend into the team’s top offensive option as others move on. That might explain why, despite there reportedly being more green on the other side from the likes of the Patriots, Aiyuk didn’t find the grass to be a darker shade outside of San Francisco.

It took longer than either side would have liked but the conclusion remains the same: Aiyuk and the 49ers are better off together than apart.