The San Francisco 49ers have a complicated situation on their hands with Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk’s camp all but made a case for him to be traded somewhere else in the offseason, making it clear that he wasn’t satisfied with his current role in the offense.
Then, he made the rounds for tweeting at Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, with fans speculating he was trying to force his way off of the team.
Now, a report by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reveals that both sides are not even close to a potential contract extension (via 49ers on NBC Sports):
“Where are we? Well, we’re not close,” Garafolo said. “They have made a recent run at it from my understanding. It’s not like they haven’t had any discussions, they have had preliminary discussions. You saw John Lynch say that Brandon Aiyuk could play on the fifth-year option, play out his deal. They’re comfortable with that. Then you got Aiyuk doing the little finger thing saying, ‘I could walk.’
Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers reportedly are “not close” on a contract extension amid ongoing negotiations https://t.co/HPkYzvHyFu
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) March 30, 2024
This isn’t the first time something like this happens.
Not so long ago, star RB/WR Deebo Samuel even requested to be traded before both sides were able to strike a deal, so there’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case again this time.
Nonetheless, this also comes on the heels of CEO Jed York stating that he won’t hesitate to break the bank and spend as much as he needs to keep QB Brock Purdy in town, so it’s clearly not about money.
Also, it’s highly unlikely to believe that Kyle Shanahan will put Aiyuk ahead of Samuel or Christian McCaffrey in the offensive pecking order, so he might not be able to get the expanded role he so clearly wants and deserves.
A lot can happen, and both parties reportedly want to get something done.
But if the Niners do want to get Purdy signed to an extension soon, they might have to put this one on hold for the time being.
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