The Brandon Aiyuk saga in San Francisco has ended and the standout wide receiver is staying put with a new contract in tow. Aiyuk and the 49ers have agreed to terms on a four-year, $120 million extension with $76 million in guarantees, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Thursday. It's the latest -- and final -- turn in an offseason rollercoaster, as there was a deal in place earlier this month to send Aiyuk to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade, but instead the wide receiver and the 49ers were able to come to terms with the regular season just a week away.

The contract comes just one day after it seemed the two sides were at their most contentious point of the summer. Aiyuk, 26, sat out practice on Wednesday after conducting a hold-in throughout training camp and the preseason. Garafolo later reported that the team's stance was that it was now time for Aiyuk to return to the field, regardless of contract status. "At some point, you've got to play," 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters on Wednesday.

Now, an extension has come to fruition, a pact that puts an end to a crazy ride of uncertainty with one of the team's most talented players. The $120 million total value puts Aiyuk just under the Detroit Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown $120.01 million in total value, which is fifth in the league. The $30 million average annual value is tied for fifth with the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill.

A Long and Winding Road

Aiyuk has long sought an extension and then requested a trade in July. Trade speculation initially ramped up during the 2024 NFL Draft and it surrounded Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. The 49ers drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, but no trade materialized and Lynch looked to snuff out any further speculation. That all changed with stalled negotiations and at one point it seemed that Aiyuk was more likely to be moving on from The Bay.

Instead, he's staying put and head coach Kyle Shanahan is no doubt happier with his star receiver back in the fold. Aiyuk is an elite wideout in his prime, as he's coming off a season in which he posted a career-high 1,342 receiving yards to go with 75 receptions and seven touchdowns. It was his second straight 1,000-yard campaign, and even though he was perceived as struggling in his first two seasons, Aiyuk has had at least 55 catches, 745 yards and five TDs in each of his four years.

A Pattern of Contract Drama

Training camp contract drama is nothing new for the 49ers, who have dealt with it in three consecutive years following Samuel requesting a trade in 2022 and Nick Bosa holding out in 2023. Both of those were resolved with each getting extensions and remaining crucial cogs on the perennial Super Bowl contenders -- just like Aiyuk now. The histrionics haven't concluded, though, as offensive tackle Trent Williams remains a holdout.

However, the Aiyuk stalemate is done. He's no longer sitting at the dock of The Bay waiting to get paid, he's got his new deal.

The Real Winners: Logic and Common Sense

After six or so months of public back and forth, trade demands and nearly completed deals, the real winners in this battle are logic and common sense. This isn't necessarily a marriage born out of love so much as necessity. If the Niners are to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders this year and beyond, they need their best pure receiver in the fold. If Aiyuk is to continue to rack up All-Pro seasons and stay in the mix for the Super Bowl ring he narrowly missed out on last year, he needs the 49ers. Despite the rocky moments and near trades that led to this point, this was the conclusion that made the most sense, even if that occasionally got lost in arguments over dollars and cents along the way.

Homegrown Stars Re-signed for the Long Term

Upon keeping Aiyuk, the Niners did the thing they always do around this time of year, signing one of their foundational players for the long term late in the summer. They previously did it with tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner, receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and defensive end Nick Bosa. All except Bosa took less time than Aiyuk, but it was clear for much longer than just the past few months that this was the outcome the 49ers wanted. As far back as the 2023 league meeting in Phoenix, the Niners were already rebuffing trade offers for Aiyuk with an eye on signing him long term.

At the time, Aiyuk was coming off a solid third season in which he posted 78 receptions for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns. But 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch thought Aiyuk was on the verge of a breakthrough and believed that he would take another step with a full season paired with quarterback Brock Purdy.

That's exactly what happened as Aiyuk quickly became Purdy's favorite target because of his ability to beat man and zone coverage, dominate in the intermediate middle of the field and make plays deep. The result was a career season in which he finished with 75 catches for 1,342 yards (seventh in the NFL) and seven touchdowns while finishing second in the league in yards per reception (17.9), first in yards per target (12.9) and third in yards per route run (3.26).

A Shared Vision: Rewarding Homegrown Stars

Philosophically, the Niners want to reward their homegrown A-list players and openly acknowledge that they'd rather invest resources into skill position players who score touchdowns than, say, the offensive line. Both of which made re-signing Aiyuk of the utmost importance even if his price got a little higher than the Niners wanted to go.

Perhaps rookie Ricky Pearsall could have eventually become a capable Aiyuk replacement but the Niners know from experience what a risky proposition that is. San Francisco learned the hard way in 2020 when it traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner as his price got too high. They then used the pick acquired for Buckner on tackle Javon Kinlaw, a massive mistake that required signing Javon Hargrave to an $84 million contract to fix that issue.

A Logical Outcome for Both Sides

From Aiyuk's perspective, staying with the Niners was also the rational outcome. He's from Rocklin, California, about three hours away from Levi's Stadium, grew up a Niners fan and has a home in the Bay Area. The 49ers are the only team Aiyuk has ever known, he has worked his way into his current role and he exemplifies everything the Niners want in a wideout with his tenacious run blocking complementing his pass-catching ability.

Since Aiyuk entered the league in 2020, the Niners have been to at least the NFC Championship Game in three of four years. While he has to share the offensive load with Samuel, Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey, among others, that collection of talent also provides plenty of one-on-one opportunities for Aiyuk in the passing game.

Those chances have translated into success, especially with Purdy at the helm. Aiyuk and Purdy worked well together from the moment Purdy took over in Week 13 of the 2022 season. In 22 regular-season games together since, Aiyuk ranks 10th in the NFL in receiving yards per game (77.5), third in yards per reception (16.7), first in yards per target (11.8) and third in yards per route run (2.92).

In 40 games before Purdy became the starter, Aiyuk was targeted 6.4 times per game, nearly the same amount as he has been with Purdy starting (6.5). In those games, Aiyuk averaged 55.6 receiving yards, 13.3 yards per reception, 8.8 yards per target and 1.8 yards per routes run.

A Bright Future Together

All of which is to say that while keeping Aiyuk is huge for Purdy, it's equally important for Aiyuk to have some stability with a quarterback with whom he has strong chemistry. That's especially true when compared with the uncertain long-term quarterback situations for trade suitors such as New England, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

And while Aiyuk might have been in position for an increased workload elsewhere, his new contract means he should be around long enough to eventually ascend into the team's top offensive option as others move on. That might explain why, despite there reportedly being more green on the other side from the likes of the Patriots, Aiyuk didn't find the grass to be a darker shade outside of San Francisco.

It took longer than either side would have liked but the conclusion remains the same: Aiyuk and the 49ers are better off together than apart.