Ahead of the 2024 season, the San Francisco 49ers signed receiver Brandon Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million contract after a long offseason standoff.
At the time it looked like a necessary deal to lock down the 49ers' top receiver following three consecutive NFC champion appearances and one Super Bowl loss. But just two years later, Aiyuk's deal will likely go down as one of the worst contracts in the history of the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era.
When the 49ers inevitably move on from Aiyuk, either with a trade or release, he'll have played just seven total games on that deal. Now, the 49ers didn't end up giving him much after voiding his guarantees when he refused to report to the team in 2025, but the decision will still live in infamy in recent team history.
But is it the worst contract Lynch and Shanahan have ever given out during their tenure together in San Francisco? Let's explore the top-10 worst 49ers contracts since 2017. It should be noted that most of these are injury-related more than simply overpays.
Bosa's contract was recently ranked one of the worst deals in the NFL — and for good reason. After a Defensive Player of the Year season in 2022, Bosa's production declined in back-to-back years before he missed all but three games in 2025 with his third ACL tear. While the 49ers restructured the deal to reduce Bosa's 2026 cap hit to just $17.7 million, it also increased in future years by $4.29 million. Bosa is one of the best defensive players in the NFL when heathly, but he simply hasn't been since signing this mega extension.
At the time it looked like a necessary deal to lock down the 49ers' top receiver following three consecutive NFC champion appearances and one Super Bowl loss. But just two years later, Aiyuk's deal will likely go down as one of the worst contracts in the history of the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era.
When the 49ers inevitably move on from Aiyuk, either with a trade or release, he'll have played just seven total games on that deal. Now, the 49ers didn't end up giving him much after voiding his guarantees when he refused to report to the team in 2025, but the decision will still live in infamy in recent team history.
But is it the worst contract Lynch and Shanahan have ever given out during their tenure together in San Francisco? Let's explore the top-10 worst 49ers contracts since 2017. It should be noted that most of these are injury-related more than simply overpays.
Bosa's contract was recently ranked one of the worst deals in the NFL — and for good reason. After a Defensive Player of the Year season in 2022, Bosa's production declined in back-to-back years before he missed all but three games in 2025 with his third ACL tear. While the 49ers restructured the deal to reduce Bosa's 2026 cap hit to just $17.7 million, it also increased in future years by $4.29 million. Bosa is one of the best defensive players in the NFL when heathly, but he simply hasn't been since signing this mega extension.
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