The 49ers only have themselves to blame for their current contract impasse with Brandon Aiyuk.
Talks between the two sides have stalled and they’re not optimistic that they’ll come to an agreement on an extension, according to reports. It seems the 49ers have offered Aiyuk roughly $26 million per season and he wants closer to $30 million per season and neither side will budge.
And Aiyuk shouldn’t budge. He’s worth more than $26 million per season in the current wide receiver market, which has exploded. The 49ers want him to play for a discount, which he doesn’t owe them.
Had the 49ers simply offered Aiyuk an extension worth $26 million per season last year, he almost certainly would have signed it and the 49ers wouldn’t be in this mess. But the 49ers like to wait as long as possible before handing out extensions. That’s just how they do business.
Maybe this strategy worked for them in the past, but it’s costing them money now. They could have extended Nick Bosa in 2022 but waited until 2023 and his price tag went up drastically. And they just made the same mistake with Aiyuk.
The trend in the NFL is to extend quality young players as soon as possible, especially if they play lucrative positions. The Jaguars just extended Trevor Lawrence after his third season in the league. The Eagles recently extended De’Vonta Smith after his third season in the league. And the Dolphins also recently extended Jaylen Waddle after his third season in the league.
Smart teams understand that the longer they wait to extend a young wide receiver, defensive end, offensive tackle or quarterback, the more expensive he’ll become.
So why wait?
The 49ers need to answer that question.
