49ers Rumors: Brandon Aiyuk Contract Talks Aren't 'Close' Ahead of Potential Holdout

The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have reportedly made little progress on contract extension negotiations.

"This one's tricky because he was implicated in some trade talks around the draft. He wants a new contract; has one year left. I'm told the 49ers certainly are open to doing a deal, but talks have not progressed enough where things are close," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. "And so, is he going to show up for their workouts? Hard to tell right now. The market is pretty set for him. Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit did that deal recently, about $28 million a year. So, that's something for Aiyuk and the 49ers to work off of but I'm told they're not quite there yet."

Aiyuk is set to make $14.1 million next season in the final year of his rookie contract. The All-Pro selection was subject to trade rumors ahead of the draft—as was teammate Deebo Samuel—but the 49ers chose to bring back both of their veteran stars.

San Francisco did plant the seeds of replacing either Aiyuk or Samuel in the long term by selecting Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall in Round 1. Pearsall's skill set best aligns with Samuel's role within the 49ers offense, so it feels more likely that Aiyuk will land a long-term deal while Samuel winds up elsewhere in 2025.

The wide receiver market has been soaring this offseason, with A.J. Brown ($32 million) and Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30 million) each landing extensions that top $30 million annually in new money. The Eagles also handed their WR2, Devonta Smith, a new deal that averages $25 million per season.

Aiyuk will almost certainly view himself in the same strata as St. Brown, meaning it'll likely cost the 49ers upwards of $30 million annually to keep him around.

It would not be a surprise for Aiyuk to sit out mandatory offseason workouts if no deal is reached. San Francisco has enough offensive cohesion to withstand an absence, but both sides won't want this stretching into training camp as the 49ers look to win a Super Bowl.