Will the 49ers Pay Brandon Aiyuk More than Deebo Samuel?

Aiyuk led the 49ers in targets during the regular season, but in the playoffs he ranked fourth in targets behind Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, who didn't even start.

Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) celebrates | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Aiyuk says he wants what he deserves.

That almost certainly means he wants more money than Deebo Samuel, who currently earns nearly $24 million per season on average from the 49ers. Most analysts would agree that AIyuk is a better player than Samuel and should be paid accordingly.

The 49ers might disagree though.

Aiyuk led the 49ers in targets during the regular season, but in the playoffs he ranked fourth in targets behind Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, who didn't even start. And in the Super Bowl, Aiyuk was targeted just six times while Samuel was targeted 11 times.

Kyle Shanahan calls the plays and has the final say over the 49ers roster, and I'm guessing he thinks Samuel is a more unique and impactful player than Aiyuk. Both are very good players, but I think Shanahan believes Samuel would be much more difficult to replace than Aiyuk because Samuel's skill set is rare while Aiyuk's is more conventional for a wide receiver.

An elite, No. 1 wide receiver is worth at least $27 million, and Aiyuk certainly sees himself as an elite receiver considering he was second team All Pro in 2023. But do the 49ers really see him that way, too? They always say nice things about him, but in the Super Bowl he was the third option in the passing game after Samuel and McCaffrey. In addition, Jauan Jennings outproduced Aiyuk in that game while getting targeted fewer times.

If Aiyuk won't compromise with the 49ers during contract negotiations, I wouldn't be surprised if they feel they can trade him and replace him in the draft.