SANTA CLARA, Calif. – As the contract dispute between the San Francisco 49ers and receiver Brandon Aiyuk continues and the start of the regular season approaches, the Niners are coming under increasing pressure to reach a compromise with their star wideout.
“It’s been a long, arduous, hard process, a hard journey,” 49ers general manager John Lynch told San Francisco radio station KNBR on Friday. “We started so early and for some reason we couldn’t get it across the finish line. That was frustrating. But communication with Brandon and his agent has still been very good and we’re trying to find a solution.”
“I’m always hopeful. I’m an optimistic person by nature, so I always hope we can do it and soon. I can tell you that we desperately need him. The season is just around the corner.”
The Niners/Aiyuk saga has now lasted longer than any previous contract extension negotiations, with the exception of the negotiations with end Nick Bosa last offseason. Bosa did not sign until the week of the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Coincidentally, it’s those same Steelers who are the ones most prominent in potential trade talks with the Niners if no deal for Aiyuk is reached. Sources told ESPN this week that the Niners and Steelers have set the parameters for a trade for Aiyuk, but the Niners are still trying to reach their preferred solution with Aiyuk: a long-term contract extension to keep him in the Bay Area.
When asked why negotiations with Aiyuk, which began before the NFL Draft in April, took so long, Lynch laughed and told KNBR, “I wish I knew.”
Throughout the offseason, Aiyuk’s situation has seen ups and downs, with various glimmers of hope that a contract extension was imminent and conversely that a transfer to another player was in the works. However, neither has materialized so far, despite Aiyuk publicly voicing his displeasure with the situation, culminating in a transfer request just before the opening of training camp in late July.
From then on, Aiyuk reported to camp on time and was a “hold-in,” meaning he did not participate in practice but was in the building every day and attended meetings.
During the first few weeks of camp, Aiyuk was a regular participant, watching practice from the sidelines and even occasionally standing next to Lynch. As rumors began to swirl about a possible trade to the Steelers, Cleveland Browns or New England Patriots, Aiyuk was no longer as present at those sessions.
But Aiyuk, who is worth $14.124 million on his fifth and final rookie contract, has been back at practice more frequently this week. Tight end George Kittle noticed Aiyuk wearing a red 49ers shirt this week.
On Friday, Aiyuk even did some conditioning training before watching the team’s drills from the sidelines.
“There’s no bad blood,” Lynch said. “Negotiations can get heated; I think this is the first time he’s gone through this, but there’s no bad blood. I mean, the people that are here, see Brandon out here, there’s a lot of love and respect for the relationship that we’ve had and continue to have and hopefully will have in the future.”
Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have stressed that they believe Aiyuk is doing a good job and has plenty of time for him to get in shape before the Sept. 9 opener against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
On Friday, Shanahan brushed off questions about Aiyuk and potential fines, as Aiyuk had reported neck and back pain earlier in training camp, ailments that may help prevent him from being fined for not practicing.
“You want every player to be in training camp, you want every player to be healthy and you want to get everything done every day,” Shanahan said. “But that’s not the reality of our league. That’s not the reality of our situation.”
While Aiyuk’s lengthy hold in continues, left tackle Trent Williams remains stuck in his holdout. Williams wants more guaranteed salary and wants to get his annual salary back to the top of the tackle market.
Unlike Aiyuk, Williams stayed away from training camp despite accumulating $50,000 a day in fines that cannot be reversed due to his veteran status. Since Williams is 36, he and the Niners will have to weigh how long they can enforce future guarantees based on how much longer he might play.
At the same time, the Niners know what Williams can do, and he’s not necessarily someone who wants or needs a full training camp at this point in his career. The 49ers held their 17th practice without Williams on Friday, but are confident Williams will be back and ready to play relatively soon.
“Trent, I haven’t spoken to him, but I think we can work this out,” Shanahan said.
There was some other notable injury news for the Niners on Friday. Safety Talanoa Hufanga is allowed to increase his training as he recovers from a torn ACL in his right back. The hope is that he will be able to return to practice in about a week. Guard Aaron Banks underwent surgery on a broken pinky finger on Friday morning.
Shanahan said the goal is to have Banks fit for the opening game against the Jets.
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