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REPORT: The 49ers Have Increased Their Offer to Brandon Aiyuk

Here's my question: Why did it take until mid-August for the 49ers to up their offer?

Grant Cohn

Sep 11, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) runs after a catch in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) runs after a catch in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports / Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
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Please, let this be the end.

The Brandon Aiyuk saga has dragged on for months because the 49ers reportedly haven't even engaged in contract talks with the disgruntled wide receiver since May. But last week, they re-engaged, and now they finally have increased their offer according to The NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

"From what I've been told, Brandon Aiyuk would prefer to stay with the 49ers and has always prefered to stay with the 49ers all things being equal," said Garafolo. "Now, they haven't been equal. But both sides sent proposals the last couple days, and the 49ers' number has gotten better than what it was previously. From my understanding, they have agreed on a lot of the main points of the deal. Their offers are in line. It sounds like there's just one more thing that needs to be ironed out. And if that thing gets ironed out, Aiyuk signs the deal, he stays with the 49ers, he drops the trade request and finally the 49ers can put this situation behind them."

The 49ers' initial offer for Aiyuk was reported to be roughly $26 million, so it's safe to assume the new offer is roughly $28 million. And I'm guessing the final thing that needs to be ironed out is the guaranteed money, which is no small thing. It's probably the biggest thing. Which is why this deal still isn't done.

Here's my question: Why did it take until mid-August for the 49ers to up their offer? If they knew they were going to give him $28 million per season, why not do it before training camp? Makes no sense.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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