Why Ian Rapoport believes Brandon Aiyuk might stay with 49ers

Brandon Aiyuk has been clear about his desire to receive fair compensation from the San Francisco 49ers—or any NFL team, for that matter.

"I'm trying to get what I deserve," Aiyuk said last month on a podcast. "I feel like this season, this season playing football, I figured out who I was as a person and a player — what I bring to the table, what I bring to the locker room, what I bring to the organization."

General manager John Lynch affirms that the 49ers aim to keep Aiyuk around, enduring he remains with the team for the remainder of his career. However, a recent report states there's still a significant financial gap in the negotiations for a contract extension.

One NFL insider speculates whether Aiyuk might be willing to remain with the 49ers, even if it means accepting a lower salary than he could command elsewhere. Currently under contract for the upcoming season with a team-exercised fifth-year option worth $14.124 million, Aiyuk could also be tagged with the franchise tag in the future. However, both parties likely prefer reaching an agreement.

"Whatever the 49ers will pay Brandon Aiyuk, who they really, really like as a player, who they developed all the way through, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a team that's willing to pay him more," Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network. "That's actually not really the question. The question really is: Does Brandon Aiyuk want to stay in San Francisco with a team that's awesome and will probably be very good for a long time?"

The 49ers are coming off a Super Bowl appearance and have journeyed deep into the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. The team still boasts one of the NFL's most talented rosters and is expected to be a championship contender again during the upcoming season.

"Are they going to pay him the most in the NFL? Maybe not," Rapoport continued. "They've got a good team. They want to keep it together. But would it be enough to keep him? ... I'm leaning more, as of right now, of him potentially staying, but this story has not yet been written fully at all."