There has been much conjecture regarding the San Francisco 49ers’ ability to keep star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in the long run because of the team’s financial woes and other lucrative contracts.
Entering the last year of his rookie contract, Aiyuk is coming off a career-best performance. With free agency approaching in March 2025, the former Arizona State standout will have $14.12 million counted against the cap in the upcoming season.
During the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, 49ers general manager John Lynch expressed a renewed sense of confidence that an extension might be in the works this offseason while speaking about his star pass-catcher.
“We’ve got a nice track record of extending guys…and Brandon (Aiyuk) is a guy we’d like to keep around,” Lynch told reporters.
This statement differs slightly from Lynch’s earlier admission in February that extending Aiyuk’s market value would present “some challenges.”
This past season, Aiyuk replaced Deebo Samuel as Brock Purdy’s top receiving option for the 49ers. Both of them were instrumental in helping San Francisco win another Super Bowl. Lynch is not interested in seeing it end.
“One of my favorite guys around our building,” Lynch said of Brandon Aiyuk. “The way he approaches the game, he’s a competitor, he’s a warrior. He plays with such a physicality [and] also with grace, the way some of the positions his body can get into. And then he’s got a flare for making plays when it matters most, and he’s served us very well as a franchise.”