In mid-February, it would be hard to say Brandon Aiyuk was happy. His San Francisco 49ers had just lost the Super Bowl.
But it seemed, as the 49ers left Las Vegas as a Super Bowl runner up, that everything was looking positive for the future. Aiyuk went from being a very good receiver to a star in his fourth season, leading the 49ers in receiving yards. San Francisco was slated to bring practically every key player back for a run at a championship.
About six months later, Aiyuk and the 49ers seemed on the verge of parting for good.
How did we get to a point in which Aiyuk and the 49ers had a falling out, leading to the team reportedly coming to terms with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns on the framework of a deal pending a contract extension with Aiyuk? Here’s how it went down:
2022 offseason: WR contracts explode
The Tennessee Titans were the last to know the receiver market had changed. They traded A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, refusing to pay him. Reportedly Brown was offered $18 million per season but said he would have stayed for $22 million per season. The Eagles gave him $100 million over four years. Not long after that looked like a bargain.
That was also the offseason Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins and got a $120 million extension over four years, and Davante Adams signed a five-year, $140 million extension after being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. There were big receiver deals before 2022, but that was the offseason the market for the position took off.
All of those moves didn’t matter for the 49ers-Aiyuk relationship that much at the moment, but it would in a couple years.
April of 2022: Deebo Samuel’s trade request
Also in the 2022 offseason, Samuel requested to be traded by the 49ers. That drama went away on July 31, when Samuel signed a three-year, $71.55 million extension. Aiyuk hadn’t had his first 1,000-yard season yet but once he became a top-tier receiver, he had a template to follow.
August of 2023: Nick Bosa holds out
This is a forgotten holdout because Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million deal just before the regular season, played in all 17 games for the 49ers and had a fine season. But Bosa held out for all of August last year. The 49ers eventually agreed with him on a five-year, $170 million extension. Deebo Samuel requested a trade and got his money from the 49ers. Bosa held out and got his money too. Aiyuk watched that happen up close.
Jan. 28: Brandon Aiyuk’s biggest moment
Aiyuk had a brilliant season with 1,342 yards, leading the 49ers in receiving by more than 300 yards. But if there’s one moment that will be remembered forever, it’s Aiyuk’s circus catch off a deflected pass in the NFC championship game that gained 51 yards and was the key moment in the 49ers’ win. This was the signature moment on a breakout season. That was the high point.
Feb. 13: Hints of a split
The drama started two days after the Super Bowl. Aiyuk’s girlfriend posted a message on social media that hinted Aiyuk might not be back with the 49ers. There was an issue with his contract. He was slated to make $14.1 million on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, but with receivers easily surpassing $20 million and then $25 million per season (or $35 million if you’re Justin Jefferson) since the market explosion in 2022, Aiyuk was underpaid. This time, the 49ers wouldn’t easily fix the problem.
March 25: John Lynch says 49ers aren’t talking trade
Like Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel, it seemed like the 49ers would figure out a way to make Aiyuk happy. At the NFL scouting combine in late February, 49ers GM John Lynch said “Brandon’s a guy we want to keep around for a long time.” In March, Lynch reiterated that the plan was to extend Aiyuk. He said the 49ers weren’t discussing any trades involving their star receiver.
“[W]e have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done to get something done, and it takes two sides,” Lynch told reporters, via 49ersWebZone. “So, can we do that? We’ll see. There’s a number of different directions that it could go, but we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player. We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we’re going to work towards making that a reality.”
Aiyuk replied on social media to Lynch’s comments with a series of emojis that seemed to say “money talks and BS walks.”
April: 49ers stand pat
While there were reports that the 49ers were listening to trade offers on Aiyuk and also Deebo Samuel, nothing happened. Usually if a team trades a player it’s before the NFL Draft, so it can get the benefit of that year’s draft pick that comes in return. The 49ers did draft receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round, which was an indication that San Francisco was planning for a 2025 season without Aiyuk or Samuel.
June 17: 49ers ‘don’t want me back’
There were some comments here and there on the situation through the slow time in the NFL, but the one that caught everyone’s attention came on a TikTok video. In the video, Aiyuk tells Washington Commanders quarterback and former college teammate Jayden Daniels that “They said they don’t want me back,” referring to the 49ers. It’s hard to believe those were the 49ers’ exact words but likely a reflection that the 49ers weren’t budging on long-term contract negotiations. It was clear then Aiyuk’s feelings were hurt he hadn’t been extended, and the saga wasn’t over.
July 16: Trade request
In mid-July, Aiyuk formally requested a trade from the 49ers. That didn’t mean Aiyuk was moving. Remember, Deebo Samuel did the same thing two years earlier and got a deal. But once again, it was clear that Aiyuk wasn’t going to be happy playing on the final year of his rookie deal.
July 25: ‘Hold in’ starts
Aiyuk had used Deebo Samuel’s method of requesting a trade. Now it was on to Nick Bosa’s strategy of a holdout. Or, rather, a “hold in.” Aiyuk would attend meetings but not practice, a fairly new method for players who want to avoid daily fines. Bosa waited more than 40 days and almost to the season opener to get his deal. Aiyuk’s situation escalated a lot quicker.
Aug. 5: Trade reports
There were some reports on Monday that perhaps a trade was going to happen, and then NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco broke a big story on Monday night. The 49ers had trade framework in place with the Patriots and Browns. They were awaiting Aiyuk to agree to contract terms with one of those teams, because no team would give up valuable assets without an assurance Aiyuk would be with the 49ers over the long term. The report also revealed that the 49ers allowed Aiyuk to talk to two other teams, the Steelers and Commanders, but the Commanders bowed out and the Steelers didn’t meet the 49ers’ asking price.
It’s safe to say the 49ers didn’t prefer to move Aiyuk, one of the NFL’s best receivers and a key player to their Super Bowl hopes. But over a contentious summer the two sides couldn’t get together for an extension that made Aiyuk happy.
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