Sports

Wil Lutz has kicked for Sean Payton for quite some time. It looks like he'll be doing it for at least a few more years.

The Denver Broncos kicker has agreed to a three-year contract extension, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, putting him under team control through the 2028 season. He had previously been a pending free agent for the Broncos.

The extension comes five days after Lutz made 5-of-5 field goals and an extra point in a 22-19 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the latest big win for the 9-2 Broncos. Under Payton, Denver has exceeded all expectations this season, and that would have been hard to do without an elite kicker.

Lutz has made 17-of-20 field-goal attempts this season, with his only misses coming from 42, 51 and 59 yards out. The 51-yarder was also blocked.

Lutz's time with Payton goes back to his rookie year with the New Orleans Saints in 2016. He kicked for the coach for five seasons, then reunited with him via a trade when Payton took over the Broncos in 2023.

Per Pro Football Reference, the 31-year-old Lutz ranks 16th in NFL history in field-goal percentage. He is very much a part of the cadre of hyper-accurate kickers that have changed the league's scoring this season.

The end of the road might be coming for the San Francisco 49ers and star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. After five seasons, the 49ers are reportedly growing increasingly frustrated with Aiyuk over the past few months, per The Athletic.

Aiyuk was placed on the physically unable to perform list in July while recovering from a season-ending ACL and MCL tear that he sustained last season. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said in August that Aiyuk could possibly return as soon as October, but the receiver has yet to be reactivated by the team.

According to The Athletic, the relationship between Aiyuk and the team has become strained behind the scenes. Aiyuk has reportedly failed to participate in team meetings and other team activities in the past couple of months, with The Athletic reporting that San Francisco has been particularly frustrated with Aiyuk's "lack of communication."

The Athletic also reports the 49ers voided the guaranteed money in Aiyuk's contract for 2026, saying that his absences qualify as a failure to fulfill his contract. The receiver is set to have a cap hit of $15,390,281 next season, per Sportrac.

Per The Athletic, Aiyuk told the NFL Players Association that he did not want to file a grievance against the move, which opens the door for the 27-year-old receiver to be released at the end of the season.

Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract with San Francisco after a breakout 2023 season. The deal ended a dramatic holdout and a saga of trade speculation, with the receiver later admitting that he made the process "a little bit more difficult than it needed to [be]."

Aiyuk played in seven games in 2024 prior to tearing his ACL, but was efficient despite being limited. He ended the year with 25 receptions for 374 receiving yards — with both sitting at fifth in the team's receiving stats, despite him playing half as many games.

Despite the drama, the 49ers indicated a desire to keep Aiyuk around as recently as last week, with general manager John Lynch saying that the team's "intention is to get Brandon back."