49ers GM determined to keep star WR despite potential cap issues

The harsh reality of any league that has a salary cap is that no matter how good your front office is you are not going to be able to keep every player you want. 

The San Francisco 49ers know that as well as anybody, and could be facing another big decision over the next year with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

But general manager John Lynch said this week that he is determined to make a run at keeping Aiyuk in San Francisco.

“He’s one of my favorite guys around our building, the way he approaches the game,” Lynch said on Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. “He’s a competitor. He’s a warrior. He plays with such a physicality, also with grace the way some of the positions his body can get into. And he has a flare for making plays when it matters most. He’s served us very well as a franchise.”

Lynch went on to point out the 49ers have a pretty good track record of keeping core players in San Francisco. 

That all sounds great, and Aiyuk is one of the 49ers most impactful players. Over the past two seasons, he has caught 153 passes for 2,357 yards and 15 touchdowns. Every team in the league would love to have him — including the 49ers.

But he is entering the final year of his contract and the 49ers not only have to worry about what he is going to cost on his next deal, but how they can fit that under the salary cap given all of the other big-money players they have and will soon have. The most significant of those contracts is going to be quarterback Brock Purdy, who is currently one of the league's best bargains on a rookie contract that counts just a little more than $1 million against the salary cap. 

His next contract is going to dwarf that and eat up pretty much any additional salary cap space the 49ers received when the league's cap increased dramatically this offseason. 

All of that put together makes Aiyuk a potential trade candidate this offseason. He would bring a premium return back in a deal, while also removing some of the future salary cap headaches that might exist. They would also still have a loaded offense around wide receiver Deebo Samuel, running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle. 

Sometimes it is better to move a player a year too early and get something while you can. It might not be Lynch's desired move, but it might be the most sensible.