Brandon Aiyuk’s contract dispute with the San Francisco 49ers ended on Thursday when he agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension to stay with the team.
According to two people who know about the deal, the agreement was reached after Aiyuk missed his second consecutive practice even though team doctors had cleared him to play.
These sources spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity since the deal hadn’t been officially announced.
Aiyuk will receive $76 million in guarantees, according to one of the sources.
NFL Network was the first to report the agreement.
Aiyuk had refused to practice throughout the offseason as part of a contract “hold in,” claiming a back injury. Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch stated he was cleared by doctors before Wednesday’s practice, but Aiyuk still didn’t participate, which could have led to fines.
Earlier in the summer, Aiyuk had asked for a trade, but no team he was interested in was willing to meet the 49ers’ demands and offer him the salary he wanted.
The issue was resolved just 11 days before the season opener against the New York Jets on September 9.
San Francisco now has one remaining major holdout, with All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams still staying away from the team as he seeks a new deal.
Aiyuk was originally set to play on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season but will now have a long-term contract.
Eleven receivers had already signed deals worth at least $70 million this offseason, with Justin Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million extension with Minnesota being the highest. Aiyuk becomes the sixth receiver with an average annual contract of at least $30 million.
Aiyuk was a crucial part of San Francisco’s offense last season, building a strong connection with quarterback Brock Purdy. He had 75 catches for a career-high 1,375 yards and seven touchdowns, earning second-team All-Pro honors.
He achieved these numbers despite the team passing the ball at the second-lowest rate in the NFL and having other star players like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey.
Aiyuk’s 12.8 average yards per target was the highest for any player with at least 75 targets in a season since Jordy Nelson averaged 13.2 for Green Bay in 2011.
Purdy’s 120.5 passer rating when targeting Aiyuk is the best for any QB-receiver pair with at least 125 attempts over the past two seasons, according to Sportradar.
In his four seasons since being drafted 25th overall in 2020, Aiyuk has 269 catches for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns. He has especially excelled with Purdy as quarterback, with eight of his 11 career 100-yard receiving games coming while Purdy was the starter.
The 49ers have been good at rewarding their homegrown talent, giving big contracts to Kittle, Fred Warner, Samuel, Nick Bosa, and now Aiyuk since 2020.
However, the past two seasons were particularly challenging, as Bosa signed his deal just a few days before last season’s opener.
The 36-year-old Trent Williams is set to earn $20.05 million this season under the six-year, $138.1 million contract he signed in 2021.
Williams’ average annual value of just over $23 million has been surpassed by five offensive linemen since he became the highest-paid player at his position. Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell, and Christian Darrisaw all secured deals worth at least $26 million a year this offseason.
