From Nevada high school football star to huge NFL contract: Brandon Aiyuk gets paid

Former Robert McQueen High (Nevada) football star gets a four-year after a contentious off-season of negotiations

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Edwards (21) tackles San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) during overtime of Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

All is well that ends well. That is the conclusion of the often contentious contract talks between the San Francisco 49ers and star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, a native of California who starred in the high school ranks with Robert McQueen high school in Nevada.

On Thursday evening, the 49ers announced they had agreed to terms with Aiyuk on a four-year, $120 million extension with $76 million guaranteed.

With less than a week to go before the start of the 2024 NFL season, the 49ers have their star wideout secured, just one day after Aiyuk sat out of practice. He had been conducting a hold-in throughout training camp and the team nearly traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month.

With the new contract, Aiyuk is the second highest paid wide receiver in football, just behind the $120.01 deal of Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroits Lions.

At McQueen he was a two-way player as a wide receiver and defensive back, as well as serving as a kick returner. As a senior he was named first-team All-Northern Nevada and honorable mention All-State. He began his collegiate career at Siera College where he played two seasons and became a Junior College All-American in 2017, when he caught 60 balls for 960 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.

From there he went on to have two brilliant seasons at Arizona State and became a first round pick of the 49ers in the the 2020 NFL Draft. His best season was in 2023 when he was named a second-team All Pro. In four NFL seasons, he has 269 receptions for 3,931yards and 25 touchdowns.