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Nick Wagoner, ESPN Workers Author
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In essentially the most heated moments between the San Francisco 49ers and receiver Brandon Aiyuk, there was an inescapable feeling that every aspect needed to stroll away from the desk believing it had “gained” the negotiation.
That need led to a staring contest that lastly, mercifully, got here to an finish Thursday when the Niners and Aiyuk agreed on a four-year, $120 million deal that may preserve him in San Francisco by the 2028 season, sources instructed ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In keeping with league sources, Aiyuk accepted the identical deal that had been on the desk since Aug. 12.
After six or so months of public forwards and backwards, commerce calls for and almost accomplished offers, the true winners on this battle are logic and customary sense.
This is not essentially a wedding born out of affection a lot as necessity. If the Niners are to be reliable Tremendous Bowl contenders this 12 months and past, they want their finest pure receiver within the fold. If Aiyuk is to proceed to rack up All-Professional seasons and keep within the combine for the Tremendous Bowl ring he narrowly missed out on final 12 months, he wants the 49ers.
Regardless of the rocky moments and close to trades that led up to now, this was the conclusion that made essentially the most sense, even when that sometimes bought misplaced in arguments over {dollars} and cents alongside the best way.
Upon retaining Aiyuk, the Niners did the factor they all the time do round this time of 12 months, signing one among their foundational gamers for the long run late in the summertime. They beforehand did it with tight finish George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner, receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and defensive finish Nick Bosa.
All besides Bosa took much less time than Aiyuk, however it was clear for for much longer than simply the previous few months that this was the end result the 49ers needed. Way back to the 2023 league assembly in Phoenix, the Niners had been already rebuffing commerce affords for Aiyuk with a watch on signing him long run.
On the time, Aiyuk was coming off a stable third season through which he posted 78 receptions for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns. However 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and common supervisor John Lynch thought Aiyuk was on the verge of a breakthrough and believed that he would take one other step with a full season paired with quarterback Brock Purdy.
That is precisely what occurred as Aiyuk rapidly grew to become Purdy’s favourite goal due to his capacity to beat man and zone protection, dominate within the intermediate center of the sector and make performs deep.
The consequence was a profession season through which he completed with 75 catches for 1,342 yards (seventh within the NFL) and 7 touchdowns whereas ending second within the league in yards per reception (17.9), first in yards per goal (12.9) and third in yards per route run (3.26).
Philosophically, the Niners need to reward their homegrown A-list gamers and brazenly acknowledge that they’d reasonably make investments sources into ability place gamers who rating touchdowns than, say, the offensive line. Each of which made re-signing Aiyuk of the utmost significance even when his value bought slightly greater than the Niners needed to go.
Maybe rookie Ricky Pearsall might have ultimately turn out to be a succesful Aiyuk substitute however the Niners know from expertise what a dangerous proposition that’s.
San Francisco discovered the exhausting means in 2020 when it traded defensive sort out DeForest Buckner as his value bought too excessive. They then used the decide acquired for Buckner on sort out Javon Kinlaw, a large mistake that required signing Javon Hargrave to an $84 million contract to repair that subject.
From Aiyuk’s perspective, staying with the Niners was additionally the rational final result. He is from Rocklin, California, about three hours away from Levi’s Stadium, grew up a Niners fan and has a house within the Bay Space. The 49ers are the one crew Aiyuk has ever recognized, he has labored his means into his present position and he exemplifies every part the Niners need in a wideout together with his tenacious run blocking complementing his pass-catching capacity.
Since Aiyuk entered the league in 2020, the Niners have been to a minimum of the NFC Championship Recreation in three of 4 years. Whereas he has to share the offensive load with Samuel, Kittle and operating again Christian McCaffrey, amongst others, that assortment of expertise additionally gives loads of one-on-one alternatives for Aiyuk within the passing recreation.
These probabilities have translated into success, particularly with Purdy on the helm. Aiyuk and Purdy labored properly collectively from the second Purdy took over in Week 13 of the 2022 season. In 22 regular-season video games collectively since, Aiyuk ranks tenth within the NFL in receiving yards per recreation (77.5), third in yards per reception (16.7), first in yards per goal (11.8) and third in yards per route run (2.92).
In 40 video games earlier than Purdy grew to become the starter, Aiyuk was focused 6.4 occasions per recreation, almost the identical quantity as he has been with Purdy beginning (6.5). In these video games, Aiyuk averaged 55.6 receiving yards, 13.3 yards per reception, 8.8 yards per goal and 1.8 yards per routes run.
All of which is to say that whereas retaining Aiyuk is big for Purdy, it is equally necessary for Aiyuk to have some stability with a quarterback with whom he has robust chemistry. That is very true in comparison with the unsure long-term quarterback conditions for commerce suitors akin to New England, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
And whereas Aiyuk may need been in place for an elevated workload elsewhere, his new contract means he needs to be round lengthy sufficient to ultimately ascend into the crew’s prime offensive choice as others transfer on. That may clarify why, regardless of there reportedly being extra inexperienced on the opposite aspect from the likes of the Patriots, Aiyuk did not discover the grass to be a darker shade exterior of San Francisco.
It took longer than both aspect would have favored however the conclusion stays the identical: Aiyuk and the 49ers are higher off collectively than aside.
