It appears likely the 49ers will head into the summer with their highest-paid offensive player still on the roster.
In an offseason where San Francisco has shed an abundance of current and future salary with departures of numerous key players via free agency and trades, the 49ers, barring a late deal materializing, are not expected to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk by Tuesday, when his $22.85 million roster bonus kicks in, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday, citing sources.
Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million 49ers contract extension last summer and is owed the $22.85 million bonus if he remains on the team’s roster on Tuesday, which led to speculation that San Francisco could trade the star receiver to shed additional salary.
However, as NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported on March 25, there does not appear to be as much interest from teams in an Aiyuk trade as there was last year when San Francisco agreed to multiple trade packages with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots and held extensive talks with the Pittsburgh Steelers before eventually coming to an agreement with Aiyuk before the start of the 2024 NFL season.
Aiyuk caught 25 passes for 374 yards and no touchdowns in seven games before suffering a torn ACL and MCL on Oct. 20, and as Schefter reported on Friday, could be ready to return to the field mid-season in 2025.
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