49ers’ $120 Million Deal Ranks Among NFL's Worst Contracts

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Jun 15, 2025 - 16:30

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49ers’ $120 Million Deal Ranks Among NFL's Worst Contracts originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The San Francisco 49ers signed star wideout Brandon Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million contract extension in August of 2024. Aiyuk's contract included $76 million guaranteed. making Aiyuk one of the NFL's highest-paid receivers.

His new contract has him rubbing shoulders with the elite wide receivers of the NFL financially. Aiyuk's deal currently ranks sixth in total value among wideouts, according to Over the Cap. Aiyuk ranks eighth in annual salary, with a $30 million per year mark.

Since Aiyuk did the deal, he has appeared in just seven games, and there's no guarantee he'll return to the field in 2025 to play at his established level.

In Week 7 of 2024, Aiyuk tore both his ACL and MCL. With his injury and price tag factored in, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox named Aiyuk as one of the NFL's worst contracts, ranking him No. 7.

"To be fair, the San Francisco 49ers probably lament this deal more because Aiyuk suffered a significant knee injury months after signing it." Knox wrote. "His recovery from a torn ACL and MCL could extend well into the 2025 season."

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was noncommittal when asked about Aiyuk's potential to play in the upcoming campaign.

"He's still in the middle of it." Shanahan said. "So, he's working through that."

Still, with Aiyuk's injury, Knox isn't convinced the deal was a good idea to begin with.

"Missed time aside, the deal wasn't great for San Francisco." Knox claimed. "The 49ers were pressured into offering it by Aiyuk's offseason holdout and trade request, but there's no getting around the fact that the 49ers overpaid."

Aiyuk is not worth his $30 million per annum price tag, especially compared to other top receivers, according to Knox.

"With all due respect to Auyuk, he's not the NFL's eighth-best wideout." Knox noted. "He showed that by failing to live up to his contract, when healthy, this past season. Aiyuk had just 374 yards and no touchdowns in seven games."

Knox also expressed concern about the facts that Aiyuk is locked in until 2027, the earliest the 49ers can do away with his deal. The 49ers can at that time eat $21.2 million in dead money to save $20,2 million in cap space.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.