With the regular season just over three weeks away, the 49ers feel a “sense of urgency” to resolve Brandon Aiyuk’s ongoing dilemma, which includes new contract hopes, trade rumors and a long-term holdout that continues through training camp, general manager John Lynch told KNBR.
“It’s been a long, difficult, tough process, a tough journey,” Lynch said Friday. According to ESPN:“We started doing it early and for one reason or another we just couldn’t get across the finish line, which was frustrating.
“But communication with Brandon and his agent is still very good and we are trying to find a solution. I’m always hopeful. I’m an optimistic person. [by] “It’s a place where you can enjoy the bounty of nature, so I always hope to get there soon. I feel a sense of urgency to get him there. The season is approaching.”
Lately, that fix appears to have revolved around a trade, with NFL Network reporting Tuesday that a deal is in the works to send Aiyuk to the Steelers, pending “final approval” from San Francisco.
Aiyuk was reported to have sought a trade last month before training camp began, with the Patriots being mentioned as a possible destination for the 26-year-old, but New England ultimately withdrew from the hunt for Aiyuk, and a trade to the Steelers or another NFL team has yet to materialize.
He’s spent all four of his NFL seasons with the 49ers, rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his final two seasons, but the former first-round draft pick is required to play the 2024 season on a team option for a base salary of $14.124 million unless he signs a new contract.
“There’s no ill will,” Lynch told KNBR, according to ESPN. “Negotiations can get heated, and I think this is a new experience for him, but there’s no ill will. People here see Brandon here and have a lot of love and respect for the relationship that we’ve had and continue to have, and hopefully that continues into the future.”
The outlet added that Aiyuk took part in a conditioning session in a separate room on Friday but did not join the team practice.
From the first day of training camp, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made no secret of the fact that Aiyuk had been sitting out games, and again on Friday, the head coach added that Aiyuk had been dealing with back soreness, which he explained as the reason he was sitting out games and why Aiyuk wasn’t practicing in order to avoid being fined, according to ESPN.
“I think when guys get hurt or have some issues,” Shanahan said at a news conference when asked if Aiyuk had been told he would be fined if he didn’t practice. “So I don’t just sit there and do that. That’s the way the league is now. Those are the rules. Most of the time guys have some issues, so it continues that way. So I just coach the team.”
The 49ers will open the season on September 9th against the Jets on Monday Night Football.
