49ers Could be Using 2024 to Pick Between Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel

The 49ers put themselves in a flexible position where they can use the 2024 season to choose who they will retain for the foreseeable future between Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.

Sep 10, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) congratulates San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) for catching a touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

It's been more gloom and doom than sunny days when it comes to contract negotiations between Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers.

The situation started getting so intense that Aiyuk sought out a face-to-face meeting with the 49ers this past Monday. No other player in the middle of negotiations for an extension has ever done that with the team before, so it really got to a frustrating point.

The meeting between the two sides reportedly went well, but there is no telling if it will increase the chances of an agreement being reached on an extension. Following the NFL draft, it felt like the 49ers were really going to lock in on extending Aiyuk. That is because they drafted Ricky Pearsall who is similar in style as Deebo Samuel.

Drafting Pearsall would indicate that the 49ers are looking at him to replace Samuel in 2025 since Samuel's contract becomes easy to move off of. So, it seemed as if the 49ers had already made their choice on which receiver they were going to keep for the long-term.

But now it looks as if it can go in either direction and I think that is exactly what the 49ers want. They want that flexibility to choose between Aiyuk or Samuel, which it looks like they are going to use 2024 as competition essentially. This only works if Aiyuk doesn't sign an extension.

As of now, I would say it is more likely than not that Aiyuk plays on the final year of his rookie contract. It is something that I have been believing for the last few months with Tee Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals situation as part of the influential factor for me. Should Aiyuk play in 2024 without a new deal, then the 49ers will look to see which receiver outplays the other.

There is also the element of cost. If Aiyuk goes out there and balls out again, then his number on a new deal will only skyrocket. The 49ers have the option to franchise tag him, but I think they will just trade him rather than have him play on the tag in 2025. It really depends on how both players look. I fully expect Aiyuk to be the more impactful player in 2024 with Brock Purdy expected to take the next step.

Aiyuk is way more valuable to Purdy, but Samuel is way more valuable to the offense in totality. So, it's kind of tricky to see how this plays out, which is exactly why the 49ers have this flexible situation. Pearsall is also someone who factors in on this decision as well with how he looks in his rookie season.

Does he look like someone who truly can replace Samuel? Or can he shrink the hole left by Aiyuk?
Samuel has one more year left on his deal and would probably be cheaper to extend than Aiyuk after 2024. The 49ers hold all the cards, so they better make sure they play the right hand.