You're describing "smart front offices" in the NFL... those teams DON'T capitulate and pay their 9th best player (taking one of the Niners fan's on here word for it) more than the front office thinks they're worth.
Reports are that they came up to $26 million. He would command 30 million. Losing WR1 during a Super Bowl window on the eve of the season … smart front office in your eyes? Not finding a way to structure in $4 million when you were already at $26? Questionable.
This is a whole lot of immaterial relative to my point. The expectation among fans (especially on this website) is “play out your contract, honor your contract”. My comment is that NFL franchises will be cutting dozens of guys on contracts over the next few weeks so they don’t really honor contracts. We don’t demand that of the teams. We just demand that of players. I was speaking to the double standard that exists here.
Especially if he is paid like the 2nd best player on the team next year
People assume that because the NFL has a salary cap that they all pay the same money for player salaries. Nope. You can manipulate the cap with extensions and restructures that kick the can down the road
He has reportedly not budged on his 30M number. The Niners have gone up, and he returned with the same number. He isn’t negotiating, he is demanding. And he is NOT a 30M WR.
Good problem to have, but a problem none the less.
Whether you like it or not, he is a $30 million dollar WR. 1300 yards. 7 TDs 15 YPC. Two number 2s were paid AAV of 28 million in Devonta Smith and Waddle. Amon Ra St Brown is getting 30. 30 is the number for Ayuik’s value.
Then why have they offered anything at all? Why offer $26 million?
This is just coping shit. I saw the list. Some of those guys are RBs TEs and LBs and other positions that aren’t highly paid positions in the NFL’s salary structure. This is the market for WRs. It is what it is.
And this is a very fair position to take. Be decisive. If this is where they are with their salary cap philosophy then get this done pre draft or even post draft. Now they’re engaged at camp and they have issues with Ayuik and Trent. I don’t know how anyone can defend the work of the Niners front office here.
And the WR market unexpectedly blew up this off season. Blaming the Niners for not being prepared for a ridiculous inflation of that position group just comes off as Niners hate rather than rational debate.
Again, it takes two to trade or sign a contract. If the reports are true that Aiyuk has not budged from his 30M number, than it wasn’t possible for the Niners to “get it done”. That is a non-starter number for them. As for trading him before or during the draft, reportedly (again, none of us actually know anything) teams were not willing to part with even high 2s for Aiyuk. And the Niners were not going to give him away for less than that.
I disagree completely. You’re letting your front office off the hook. That really nice WR draft class was coming up for extensions. Many guys were due to get paid. Cee Dee Lamb is another who hasn’t gotten paid yet. (Cowboys are worthy of criticism here as well). They got caught with their pants down. They totally misjudged the way that position is being valued. That’s a big aspect of the job haha.
That really wasn’t my point. I was talking about positional values in the NFL. Daniel Jones would be something like the 20th best football player on your team. Meanwhile, he’s a bottom 1/3 NFL starter salary slot at his position. He would be the highest salaried player on your team. Positions matter when talking value of these players.
I’m sorry but when we are talking what amounts to 1.5% (4 million) of the 255 million dollar cap this defense is really an indictment on your cap team’s inability to get creative or your ownership’s unwillingness to do what it takes financially to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl in 30 years.
Then they pay the piper of having a malcontent in their camp. They have a headache to deal with while also trying to get their best (and really only above average - very above average) OL contract done as well.
Seeing as that 255M needs to be split amongst 53 roster spots, you are talking about essentially a full player’s allotment. For a player already set to make 14M. Who has been offered 26M. The line has to be drawn, or EVERY player will just demand that extra 4M.
We aren’t talking about every player. We are talking about their number 1 WR and the guy who stretches the field for them. His ability to draw a safety and press the defense deeper is what opens up crossers and intermediate stuff. It’s an incredibly important role in the modern NFL and why these WRs get paid so much these days.
Then why is he being offered $26 million?!?!? This argument is fine. I might personally disagree but this is an argument to just punt on the player.
This is fair if for no other reason than the fact that we are going by what has been reported. I would push back with this: we know for sure that they have two valuable and important players that aren’t participating as they’re trying to go win a Super Bowl.
