Madden 25 just gave Brandon Aiyuk a (small) bargaining chip in contract talks

Brandon Aiyuk might not have a lot of leverage on contract talks with the 49ers, but Madden 25 might have helped his case to a small extent.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains locked in a standoff with the San Francisco 49ers over his contract. And while he opted to show up to training camp, at least physically, he remains in a hold-in situation where he's present but not participating in any on-field activities with his teammates.

At least not until his contract situation is resolved.

Rumors surrounding the status of Aiyuk's negotiations remain murky, and there's always the chance the two parties break off extension talks, leaving the Niners' best wide receiver from the last two seasons to play out the final year on his current contract, which could be followed by at least one year on the franchise tag in 2025.

However, if Aiyuk wanted to press San Francisco with yet another reason why he should have his contractual demands met, he might turn to EA Sports' popular Madden franchise as an example.

Brandon Aiyuk could use Madden 25 rating as contractual bargaining chip

Madden 25's ratings are coming out this week, and Aiyuk can now claim he's ranked in the top 10 heading into the upcoming season:

Granted, Aiyuk is at a 91 overall, which is four points below Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, whose $30 million-per-year average is reportedly the benchmark for what Aiyuk is seeking.

But, it's still noteworthy to be within the top 10 in Madden ratings.

Now, there's probably a slim-to-none chance that agents actually use Madden ratings as part of their clients' negotiating processes. However, All-Pro Christian McCaffrey landed on the cover of Madden 25 and subsequently received a hefty pay increase from the 49ers not long thereafter despite being the highest-paid running back already.

Related story: Check out Christian McCaffrey on ESPN's Madden 25 Ratings Week special

That can't hurt Aiyuk's case.

All Aiyuk's camp has to do here is print out the list of the 10 best Madden-ratings for wide receivers, show it to the Niners and asked to be paid accordingly.

Now, it's up to San Francisco whether or not it wants to oblige.

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