49ers Rumors: Amon-Ra St. Brown Contract a 'Benchmark' for Brandon Aiyuk's New Deal

As the San Francisco 49ers approach contract talks with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, a contemporary in a colder climate appears to be a solid comparison point.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on NFL Live that the 49ers are in talks with Aiyuk on a contract extension and that Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is an example of a pay range for Aiyuk.

"I was told the benchmark here is Amon-Ra St. Brown," Fowler said. "He got $28 million a year on a four-year from Detroit. The goal appears to be to try to beat that. He doesn't have to be the highest paid in the league, but he's done enough and he's accomplished enough in that offense to where he is probably going to need to be at that number or higher."

---

St. Brown signed his four-year, $120 million contract with Detroit in April. This made him the highest-paid player in the NFL at the time of the signing, although the Philadelphia Eagles signed A.J. Brown to a larger deal.

The Minnesota Vikings are expected to pay Justin Jefferson an amount that will make him the highest-paid receiver, and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will likely fall towards that end as well. Instead of chasing those numbers, however, it appears the 49ers and Aiyuk are targeting the St. Brown contract as the best example.

Aiyuk had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, helping the 49ers clinch the No. 1 seed and reach the Super Bowl. These numbers are a bit lower than St. Brown's, as the latter had 115 catches for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns, but Aiyuk's career stats are a bit better than St. Brown's so it could be called a wash.

Both receivers play pivotal roles in their offense's, and those units ranked in the Top 5 of the league in 2023. With potentially similar salaries in 2024, both will hope to lead their team's back to the conference championship and beyond.