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Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy understands there’s no one-to-one replacement for the team’s No. 1 receiver last season in Brandon Aiyuk.
The Arizona State product led the 49ers in receptions (75), receiving yards (1,342) and finished tied for first in receiving touchdowns (7) in 2023, earning second-team All-Pro honors. San Francisco picked up the fifth-year option of Aiyuk’s rookie contract that will pay him $14.1 million in 2024.
Aiyuk’s representation and the 49ers are currently in contract talks on a new deal that could pay him near the top of the receiver market, north of $25 million annually. So far, he’s not reported to voluntary, organized team activities (OTAs).
“It’s extremely important,” Purdy told reporters this week, when asked about San Francisco reaching a long-term deal with his favorite target. “He is a playmaker. Love throwing to him. Love B.A. as a person. So yeah, it’s definitely important.”
San Francisco drafted Aiyuk’s one-time college teammate at Arizona State in Ricky Pearsall with the team’s No. 31 overall pick in part as a hedge in case negotiations between the team and the Pro Bowl receiver sour, and the 49ers must trade him elsewhere. Both Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel had been the subject of trade rumors in the lead-up to the draft, but San Francisco general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan appear amenable to keeping them on the roster for now.
Samuel, 28, still has two years remaining on a three-year, $71.55 million deal he signed in 2022. With receiver salaries skyrocketing, San Francisco must take a short-term and long-term view to how they build the receiver room each season. According to Spotrac, the 49ers lead the league with $48.6 million allocated to receivers for the 2024 season.
Along with Pearsall, the 49ers also drafted Jacob Cowing in the fourth round of this year’s draft. At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds with good speed and…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/ricky-pearsall-gets-prime-time-audition-brandon-aiyuk-absence-49ers-otas
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Publish date : 2024-05-23 15:24:39
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