“Pay the man!” – Brandon Aiyuk’s emphatic career progress with the 49ers has fans BAFFLED amid trade rumors to the Raiders 

Amidst the ongoing trade rumors, Brandon Aiyuk has neither confirmed the news nor denied a word. 

“Pay the man!” – Brandon Aiyuk’s emphatic career progress with the 49ers has fans BAFFLED amid trade rumors to the Raiders 

Brandon Aiyuk (Via NBC Sports)

The Super Bowl LVIII may not have concluded the way the San Francisco 49ers hoped for, but it sure made its star receiver see things clearly in regards to his future with the franchise. Brandon Aiyuk, who expressed his displeasure with the franchise after Sunday’s loss, seems to be looking forward to entering free agency. 

The rumors surrounding Aiyuk’s departure from the Niners began when his girlfriend hinted the wide receiver might have played his last game with the team. Shortly after that, his best friend almost confirmed the rumors by putting up Instagram stories. Amidst the ongoing trade rumors, the wideout neither confirmed the news nor denied a word. 

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Aiyuk headed for the Super Bowl with high hopes, given his career-high numbers of 75 receptions for 1342 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in the 2023 regular season. However, due to the franchise’s undying love for Deebo Samuel, Aiyuk could only register 3 catches for 49 yards and averaged 16.3 yards per catch. 

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Another major factor that the 2020 draft pick seemed to have taken under consideration is the apparent disparity in salary between Samuel and Aiyuk, even though the latter had better numbers. As Aiyuk’s rookie contract worth $12.5 million ended this season, he has become eligible for an extension or enter the free agency. 

Speaking of which, the NFL Rumors made an obvious case for the young wide receiver by highlighting his numbers from all four seasons to show how much he has improved over the years. However, the thing to keep in mind here is that Aiyuk’s performance apparently has nothing to do with his potential departure. 

Fans’ reaction to Brandon Aiyuk’s trade rumors 

The 49ers pay a great sum of money to WR Samuel ($24 million) although he’s behind Aiyuk in season numbers. But as the franchise already paying one receiver such a huge amount, it would become an impossible scenario for them to pay another even near that sum.

Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk
Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk (Via Yahoo)

However, as Aiyuk is only waiting for a green signal from the franchise, they would need to come up with a satisfactory deal for him to stay. And that’s what the fans seem to emphasize. NFL fans demanded the 49ers to pay Aiyuk what he deserves. One fan wrote, “Pay the man.  We have to run it back with this groups playmakers,” while another added, “Whatever massive contract he gets he deserves it!”

Fans speculate that if Aiyuk part ways from the Niners, it would be long until he gets pouched by another team, mainly the Las Vegas Raiders as the coaches there know the capability of the receiver.

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