Sad News : Niners nation head coach is……..

Kyle Posey of Niners Nation was among those who pointed out that Aiyuk, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, skipped San Francisco’s mandatory minicamp last week.

According to Posey, 49ers insider Matt Barrows of The Athletic said at the time that “there’s no indication that the 49ers will forgive Aiyuk for absences” as it pertains to fining the 26-year-old for skipping the mandatory sessions. That could change, however, if the two sides ink an agreement sooner rather than later.

“I think the final number, if I had to guess, will wind up being $29M per year, which would put Aiyuk past the Miami Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle and Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, and still behind the Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson by quite a bit (which would be understandable),” Breer continued.

Per ESPN stats, Aiyuk finished the first regular season that featured quarterback Brock Purdy as a Week 1 starter with team bests of 75 receptions, 105 targets and 1,342 receiving yards. Aiyuk shared the team lead of seven touchdown catches with two others.

“The interesting thing from there would be how the Niners react when calls start coming in on Deebo Samuel,” Breer concluded.

49ers general manager John Lynch suggested throughout the spring that he will hold onto Aiyuk and Samuel through this fall as the 49ers attempt to claim the title that has eluded them during a run that’s included a pair of Super Bowl losses and two conference championship defeats.

Samuel is signed through the 2025 season but could become a trade target in part because Lynch knows he’s going to have to pay Purdy as soon as next offseason.

DraftKings Sportsbook routinely lists the 49ers as the betting favorites (+250 as of Thursday afternoon) to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX. On paper, San Francisco may have the goods to achieve such a goal with or without Samuel on the roster.