The 49ers are deep in off-season money moves, juggling big contracts like a team trying to stay under the salary cap without dropping the ball. Some say it’s a complete roster reset, while others believe that San Francisco is freeing up some space to afford a forthcoming contract extension for Brock Purdy. And right in the middle of this financial chess game? Brandon Aiyuk—with a price tag that Kyle Shanahan and the Niners can’t ignore.
The 27-year-old wide receiver signed a massive $120 million contract for four years with the Niners. Year 1 of this contract extension? Washed away in mid-season when Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL during the week 7 showdown against the Chiefs. Fast forward, and the very contract is probably giving them a financial nightmare.
See, according to ESPN’s NFL Insider, Adam Schefter, the 49ers owe Aiyuk a $22.85 million bonus. And that’s not the interesting part. On Sunday, Schefter shared on his official ‘X’ handle that the “49ers owe WR Brandon Aiyuk a $22.85 million bonus if he’s on their roster Tuesday, April 1.” Translation?
49ers owe WR Brandon Aiyuk a $22.85 million bonus if he’s on their roster Tuesday, April 1. Once the 49ers pay that bonus, any trade talks for Aiyuk would be off, and he would be expected to spend the 2025 season in San Francisco. So Tuesday looms as Aiyuk’s unofficial trade… pic.twitter.com/spfecSg4Qi
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 30, 2025
Well, if the Niners pay that bonus, any trade talks for the sixth-year wideout would be off the table. And that means only one thing—the guy’s going to spend his sixth season in San Francisco.. If we believe Schefter’s reports, “Tuesday (April 1) looms as Aiyuk’s unofficial trade deadline, and no deal currently is expected by then.” And that’s where things get pretty interesting.
See, Aiyuk’s ACL and MCL could play a crucial role for the 49ers in 2025. Consider it like this: even if the 49ers choose to trade their WR, that’s probably not going to happen. The reason’s pretty obvious, no team’s going to sign a WR who’s recovering from a knee injury. Schefter’s suggestion in this situation?
It’s to stick with Aiyuk in this season and wait for him to get healthy. “At that point in time, you hold onto him for the year,” Schefter explained. “[You] wait for him to get healthy, wait for him to come back and contribute this season on your roster and be the great wide receiver he can be when he’s healthy.” The reason?
Well, if Aiyuk bounces back in 2o25, a few teams might be interested to trade for him. And as far as his injury is concerned, then let’s just say the guy’s on a speedy recovery, as per Schefter.“From what I understand, Dr. Neal ElAttrache is pleased with his progress. He’s coming along,” Schefter said.
“I would think he’s ready to play by mid-season, and there might be a team out there that is willing to basically not give up very much to get a great player who’s coming off the injury.” Sure, the 49ers might be hoping for a quick fix. But according to Schefter, their best choice right now is to hold on to Aiyuk for the season.
On top of that, Kyle Shanahan and his crew still have to deal with Purdy’s contract extension.
After all, Brock Purdy is waiting for a contract extension
Last month, the 49ers GM, John Lynch, made it clear that the team wants Brock Purdy as their QB1. “I want Brock to be our quarterback for as long as we’re here and beyond,” he had said. Fast forward and there’s still no confirmation on Purdy’s contract extension.
But the silver lining is that Albert Breer believes that Purdy’s contract extension is coming. Last week, Breer talked about the 49ers roster shuffle in his article for SI. “While a good chunk of the core of the 2023 Super Bowl team is gone now, the Niners did get ahead of a few potential losses, signing Brandon Aiyuk (four years, $120 million) and Deommodore Lenoir (five years, $88.9 million) to long-term contracts, and Jauan Jennings (two years, $15.4 million) and Colton McKivitz (1 year, $5.85 million) to shorter-term deals.”
“That’s with Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey intact as All-Pro foundation pieces to build around, and with a big contract for Brock Purdy coming.” Look, the 49ers haven’t extended Purdy’s contract till now, and there’s no denying it.
But there could be certain reasons behind that. Whether it’s because of their financial concerns, his 6-9 record in the last season, or those 23 interceptions in the last couple of years. But let’s be real—if history has taught us anything about the 49ers, they just don’t stick with one QB. Especially under Kyle Shanahan.
Sure, the team has shown some signs that they aren’t afraid to shake things up. But for the time being, Brock Purdy is their guy. And why not? And Shanahan and Co. probably agree with that. That means we can expect a contract extension for Purdy anytime soon. After all, the fourth-year QB is entering the final season of his rookie contract.
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