The San Francisco 49ers, juggling a current and upcoming salary cap situation that involves most of their current core, including the potential megadeal for quarterback Brock Purdy, allowed star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to test the market.
In the end, Aiyuk and the 49ers reportedly agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension with $76 million guaranteed.
Coming off a second-team All-Pro nod, Aiyuk reportedly had a big market. But what makes him worth the price point that fetches north of $30 million annually?
Why Brandon Aiyuk is so effective for 49ers
Brandon Aiyuk simply moves different. That is not to say he is faster than everyone, because he is not, but Aiyuk’s body control and flexibility are noteworthy. His ability to bound and burst in and out of his routes, skipping forward into his route break like Indiana Jones spelling out “Jehovah” and freezing flummoxed cornerbacks:
And moving at angles that a large swath of the league’s players couldn’t even fathom, spreading his legs apart like he’s about to execute a crossover dribble but seemingly losing very little acceleration as he speeds past defenders who have advantageous leverage on him:
Aiyuk has not only blossomed into a valuable pass catcher who can win consistently against man coverage, but a more complete receiver and football player overall. Aiyuk’s traits jump out right away, but he is really starting to get a knack for playing the position. His disco-like route running style isn’t empty calorie stuff. As you can see in the clips above, Aiyuk’s ability to burst in and out of his movements makes defenders uneasy, and he started to get fed as an isolated receiver who could thrive on the ball and against press, while also showing more detail for the position that makes him a consistent link in the chain of progression.
Aiyuk’s route running has become more nuanced, his chaotic movements refined and focused by head coach Kyle Shanahan (a long underrated coach of the receiver position) and the 49ers’ staff. His mustang-like route running of his early career still is seemingly as wild as ever, but is now clapping to the rhythm of the offense.
Aiyuk’s box score statistics of 1,342 yards came at a chunky 17.9-yard-per-reception clip, but these routes weren’t just shot plays down the field. He is an absolute machine on out-breaking routes, benefitting from — while also weaponizing — the tight splits that are featured in this offense. It creates successful plays, first downs, and explosive plays at a dizzying rate.
That movement, route, and adjustment catch translates into any offense. And it’s a far cry from what Aiyuk was asked to do early in his career. (He even had 11 rushes for 94 yards and two touchdowns over his first two seasons — followed by two total carries, both in 2022, over the past two.) His route running has been pushed more downfield in an inverse relationship to his actual skill level. He can win while working at all three levels and in either direction, and is a strong tracker of the football down the field. His body control and hand-eye coordination show up both on long throws and while running after the catch, plus his size and feel show up against zone over the middle.
His average depth of target rose from 9.8 yards in 2021 to 13.8 yards in 2023, with Aiyuk’s yards before catch rising from 8.6 yards in 2021 to 12.8 in 2023. To further put in perspective Aiyuk’s rise as a true outside receiver who can win downfield and while isolated: In 2022, Aiyuk had 78 receptions for 1,015 yards, with 627 yards coming before the catch and 388 after; in 2023, he had fewer receptions (75) but 1,342 yards, with 960 of those coming before the catch and 382 afterward. This unreal jump in efficiency resulted in Aiyuk clearing the elite threshold of 3 yards per route run and sitting at or near the top of metrics like first downs (divided by whatever you want) and EPA (albeit on lowerish usage; more on that in a moment).
The 49ers’ offense has been popularized as “positionless” because of the featured roles of Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Kyle Juszczyk. Aiyuk used to be a member of that contingent, because while he can still be a threat on manufactured touches, he’s morphed into a real outside receiver who can win while doing the tougher asks like winning against press, leverage and while not in a moving position.
He also, as the result of some visits to Shanahan’s doghouse and maturing as a player, has turned into a good blocker at the position. He buys into the “we all eat” philosophy of the 49ers’ team-first offensive attack and opens up lanes in the run game and for his teammates on the edge. Even on assignments away from the point of attack or down the field late on plays, common instances most receivers take off, you could see Aiyuk flying into the muck to dig out his assignment or chopping his feet as he finished his block on a defensive back.
Brandon Aiyuk really took pride in his blocking in 2023. Even when downfield or away from the point of attack, he was giving good effort. pic.twitter.com/BALgKfx0lq
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) August 7, 2024
Having said all that, it would have been a tad scary to be plucking Aiyuk from the 49ers’ ecosystem — away from Shanahan, McCaffrey, Samuel, Purdy and George Kittle — and expecting his performance to CTRL+C and CTRL+V. While Aiyuk has developed into a wide receiver who has a skill set to translate into a variety of schemes and situations, he is already fully unlocked, as many players under Shanahan are.
Aiyuk’s target share of 22.6% ranked 20th in the NFL and his total routes run of 448 ranked 52nd, behind players like Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard, Darnell Mooney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. If he moved to a new team, he would’ve been asked to perform like the guy on a much higher usage. I think he would’ve been able to perform like a needle-mover in Cleveland, New England or Pittsburgh. But it is still an increased ask when you are expected to win no matter the design of the play or the situation.
But now the point is moot. Aiyuk is an important cog in the 49ers’ offensive machine so far in his career, even if he’s not the engine of that machine. Both sides came to an agreement, and can continue their successful relationship.
