Brandon Aiyuk received a four-year, $120 million extension from the San Francisco 49ers, but the 26-year-old got off to a slow start living up to the big-dollar contract during Week 1 against the New York Jets.
Aiyuk rejected avenues to join the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers amid an offseason-long dispute with San Francisco's office. The 49ers held their end of the bargain with a fresh, new payday, but Aiyuk was virtually no threat to the Jets when it came to San Francisco's offensive force, and Aiyuk knew it. In fact, the fifth-year veteran couldn't bear to watch film after the 32-19 win over the Jets.
"I didn't watch film until this morning," Aiyuk told reporters Wednesday, per The Athletic's David Lombardi. "I was a little scared to watch it, but not as bad as I thought."
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy couldn't rely on Aiyuk one bit throughout the night. Aiyuk totaled a measly 28 yards off two receptions and five targets and most notably botched a picture-perfect touchdown pass from Purdy in the second quarter, which would've put the 49ers ahead, 20-7, entering halftime. Instead, Aiyuk squandered his first chance at tallying his first touchdown of the season and made little-to-no impact from kick-off to the final seconds of the fourth quarter -- a speculative indicator that Aiyuk, perhaps, shouldn't have missed out on the entirety of training camp.
Story continues below advertisement
Understandably, expectations for Aiyuk will be raised. He had a career-high 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 75 catches last season, helping push the 49ers to their third Super Bowl appearance in the last 12 years. That's what San Francisco paid for and what the organization will need to make another bid at the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Aiyuk will get his first shot at redemption in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Featured image via Darren Yamashita/Imagn Images
