Would the 49ers Force Brandon Aiyuk to Play Out his 5th Year Option?

John Lynch said at the NFL Annual Meeting in March that Option C definitely is on the table. But is it really?

There are three potential outcomes between the 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk:

Option A: They could trade him.

Option B: They could extend his contract.

Option C: They could force him to play out the final season of his rookie deal.

John Lynch said at the NFL Annual Meeting in March that Option C definitely is on the table. But is it really?

Option C essentially would entail going to war financially with one of the top players in the NFL. Do the 49ers really want to do that? Would the locker room sympathize with the front office or Aiyuk?

The 49ers forced Arik Armstead and Mike McGlinchey to play on the final year of their rookie deals, but those two weren't coming off All Pro seasons. Teams weren't trying to trade for them and pay them more than $25 million per season.

Lots of teams would pay Aiyuk more than $25 million per season because he's an elite wide receiver, and elite wide receivers are expensive. This season, he should receive a multi-year extension and a huge signing bonus that will change his life forever.

If the 49ers force him to play out his fifth-year option, he'll earn $14 million -- more than $10 million less than his market value. And he'll earn it incrementally in game checks, not in one large bonus.

This is not how the 49ers do business. They want to be a player-friendly organization -- Johh Lynch was a player. Jed York says the organization is like a family. And when a player demands more money than they're willing to pay him, they generally trade him and then pat themselves on the back for doing right by him.

That's why I expect the 49ers to do if they can't get Aiyuk to agree to an extension before the draft.