The 49ers' Contract Negotiation Tactics are Outdated

They're only costing themselves money.

Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch looks on prior to facing the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

By now, everyone knows how the 49ers do business when it's time to extend one of their star players' contracts.

The 49ers insult their player with a lowball initial offer because they hope the young athlete will be impatient and take the money. If the player waits long enough, the 49ers will cave and give him every cent he asked for.

That's why Brandon Aiyuk is being so patient this offseason. He's seen how the 49ers do business. He knows the 49ers will give him the exact extension he wants if he simply holds out and waits.

That's what Nick Bosa did last year. He waited until four days before the regular season opener to finalize his extension with the 49ers and it made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at the time. He won the negotiation by allowing the 49ers to draw out the process as they always do.

And now Aiyuk is profiting from the 49ers' outdated negotiation tactics. If they had offered him an extension last year that was worth $24 million per season, he probably would have signed it. But now the salary cap has gone up and the wide receiver market has exploded, and suddenly Aiyuk is worth $30 million per season. The longer they wait, the more expensive he becomes.

The 49ers need to update their negotiation style. They need to extend their star players as soon as they Collective Bargaining Agreement allows them to, not at the last minute.

They're only costing themselves money.