National Football League

49ers prepared to run it back, but can they keep Brandon Aiyuk in the fold?

Updated Feb. 15, 2024 4:09 p.m. ET

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch will take a few days to recover from the pain of losing yet another Super Bowl.

Soon after, both will get down to the tough task of once again putting together a roster capable of getting back to the big game. Lynch said he and San Francisco's personnel department already started the process of working toward that goal, constructing roster iterations for next season that Shanahan will have final say on.

"We've got a lot of really good players that we've acquired in a variety of ways," Lynch told reporters this week. "The more good players you get, the tougher decisions you have. It's tough to take care of everyone, but I know a lot of players want to be here.

"I've already had those conversations with people and there's a way to get it done. … We're looking forward to that opportunity to get into that process. He [Shanahan] needs a break. My job's just getting going. I'm already, just talking about it, getting excited."

Most of San Francisco's foundational players are under contract for the 2024 season. Key contributors slated to hit free agency include edge rusher Chase Young, picked up in a midseason trade, along with backup quarterback Sam Darnold, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, safety Tashaun Gibson and special teams standout Chris Conley. Receiver Jauan Jennings is set to become a restricted free agent.

However, the 49ers have salary cap limitations for the upcoming season given the top-heavy way they built their roster, paying high-dollar salaries to frontline players like Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Deebo Samuel, Arik Armstead, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Charvarius Ward and Brandon Aiyuk.

Those 10 players make up a little over $210 million of San Francisco's potential salary cap spending for 2024. A projected cap of $245 million for the upcoming season leaves little space to fill out the rest of the roster.

Of course, San Francisco can restructure contracts and move financial obligations into the future while its core is still competing for championships. The Niners also have the benefit of quarterback Brock Purdy on a rookie deal, which prohibits them from negotiating a new contract with the Iowa State product until after next season.

All of that leaves a bullseye on Aiyuk, who's set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal for $14.1 million in 2024. Could he be deemed expendable given other pressing roster needs, like shoring up the interior offensive line and secondary?

Since being selected No. 25 overall in the 2020 draft, Aiyuk has developed into one of the best route runners and pass catchers in the NFL. This past season, he led the 49ers in receptions (75) and receiving yards (1,325) and tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns (7), earning second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.

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That production did not continue into the playoffs, however. Aiyuk totaled just nine receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown on 20 targets across three games. In the Super Bowl, he finished with three catches for 49 yards on six targets, prompting some in his inner circle to speak out on social media afterward.

On Tuesday, Aiyuk was brief in his comments to the media as he and his teammates cleaned out their lockers, and he offered a cryptic answer when asked directly if he hopes to remain with the 49ers moving forward.

"If that's the right move, yeah," Aiyuk said.

That same day, Lynch said he would like to work out an extension with the soon-to-be 26-year-old, but also acknowledged that it would have to balance with building out the rest of the roster. Aiyuk could command a salary in the range of $20 million a year.

"You have to prioritize all these things," Lynch said. "Brandon's entering his fifth-year option. Brandon's been a fantastic player for us. Kyle calls him a warrior all the time because of the way he goes out and competes. That shines through. Anybody, whether you're a trained eye or whether you're a fan, you can see the passion he plays with. You can see the production that he's had. We're extremely prideful of what he's become, and he should be as well. … We've got one guy on our team (Purdy) who is pretty prominent who can't be paid real well right now because the CBA doesn't allow. So, it's all one big puzzle."

Was 49ers firing DC Steve Wilks the right move?

Aiyuk emerged as San Francisco's top receiver in 2023. But with so many playmakers and one of the best designers of offense in Shanahan, the club could consider trading Aiyuk, while his value is at its highest, in exchange for another key player as the club again sets out to win the Super Bowl next year. The 49ers, who possess 11 draft picks and a first-rounder for the first time in three years, could also target an Aiyuk replacement among a stacked receiver class.

Four years ago, in a similar salary cap crunch, the 49ers traded talented defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Colts while extending Armstead and drafting Kinlaw that same spring.

Under Shanahan, the 49ers has twice advanced to the Super Bowl and have been in the NFC Championship Game four of the past five seasons. But team brass must make some difficult decisions to keep San Francisco in title contention.

Shanahan already executed a tough decision this week by dismissing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Whether the 49ers extend Aiyuk or move him might be the next one.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.