Sources - 49ers, Brandon Aiyuk reach 4-year, $120M extension - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The dramatic roller-coaster ride that has been the high-stakes contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk ended where it all began when this started more than six months ago — with the Niners and Aiyuk sticking together for the long haul.

Aiyuk and the Niners on Thursday agreed to terms on a four-year, $120 million contract extension that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2028 season, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It's the same deal that has been on the table from the 49ers since Aug. 12, league sources told Schefter.

Aiyuk joins Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill as the fifth-highest-paid receivers in the NFL with an average annual value of $30 million per season.

The San Francisco 49ers will enter the 2024 NFL season as the only team with eight players earning an average annual salary of $15 million or more.

The deal comes on the heels of perhaps the most contentious move yet in these negotiations as the Niners publicly declared Aiyuk healthy on Wednesday with coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch saying they expected him to participate in practice.

Aiyuk did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, opening himself up to the possibility of team discipline. Thursday's agreement, however, ensures Aiyuk can spend the next 10 days preparing for the Sept. 9 opener against the New York Jets.

For nearly two years before the extension was finished, the Niners maintained they always intended to re-sign Aiyuk. There was plenty of doubt about that outcome in recent weeks after the wideout requested a trade just before the start of training camp on July 23.

Not long after, the Niners — for the first time — seemed serious about trading Aiyuk.

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