Elite WR crystal ball: What’s next for Brandon Aiyuk, Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb?

Contract sagas for elite NFL wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers), Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals) and CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys) have consumed most of the league’s preseason oxygen.

Here’s a look at where the negotiations stand and a prediction for each outcome.

Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk, who’s entering the final season of his rookie contract, has been a hold-in during training camp. On Tuesday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan offered a grim update on a potential extension for the wideout, telling reporters, “Zero updates, nothing has changed.”

NFL insider Mike Garafolo relayed on Friday the sides have hit a snag over the final, non-guaranteed year of a proposed four-year extension.

Aiyuk might seem like a luxury for an offense that includes 2023 first-team All-Pro Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel Jr., but he is essential for San Francisco, which has championship aspirations.

In 2023, Aiyuk led the Niners in targets (105), receptions (75) and receiving yards (1,342). Per data from Pro Football Focus, he was one of the more sure-handed receivers in the league a year ago, too, recording the second-lowest drop rate (2.6%) among 41 wideouts with at least 90 targets.

He also ranked first in PFF’s contested catch rate metric (61.5%), which the site defines as “plays where the defender is in range and contests the pass at the catch point.”

Prediction: Aiyuk re-signs with the Niners before the start of regular season

The sides should end this exhausting saga before the season begins, if only because they have nowhere else to turn.

Aiyuk’s trade market has seemingly dried up, with other teams failing to acquiesce to the 49ers’ trade demands. On Monday, Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer reported that a deal with the Steelers fell through because Pittsburgh refused to add a player to its trade proposal.

The Niners understand Aiyuk’s worth enough to not trade him for less than market value. 

Ja’Marr Chase

After picking up Chase’s fifth-year rookie option in May, the Bengals have less urgency to get a deal done with their star wideout, who has two years remaining on his deal. 

However, Chase could change that by sitting when the regular season begins, a decision which former Bengals wideout Chad Ochocinco believes is a possibility. Chase has held out from the team’s training camp since Aug. 13.

In that extreme case, Super Bowl contender Cincinnati would have no choice but to give Chase an extension.

Prediction: Chase waits until the offseason to sign extension and doesn’t hold out.

While Chase would be justified in preserving his health for long-term security, he has less leverage than his peers.

While Chase might have the slimmest odds of the three wideouts in question to earn an extension before the start of the season, that could actually work to his benefit if he has a monster 2024 season.

In June, his former LSU teammate, Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, reset the receiver market by signing the richest non-quarterback contract in league history (four years, $140 million). If Chase puts up big numbers this season, his next contract could put Jefferson’s to shame.

CeeDee Lamb

An offseason of inactivity in Dallas has extended to training camp, with owner Jerry Jones dragging his feet on completing extensions with Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott.

Earlier this month, Jones may have ruffled feathers when he told reporters he didn’t have any urgency to get a deal with Lamb done.

“lol,” wrote Lamb on social media and we don’t think he meant “lots of love.”