The San Francisco 49ers find themselves amid a tricky contract situation. Since the commencement of the off-season, the team has attempted to appease wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk by offering him a substantial contract extension that would render him a part of their roster for the foreseeable future.
However, despite the best efforts of San Francisco 49ers‘ GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, they have failed to offer a deal to Brandon Aiyuk that would make him pen his initials on the contract. As the deal continues to take longer, rumors have surfaced that indicate Aiyuk has some form of interest in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While these claims have been refuted by the team, Nick Wagoner of ESPN has recently revealed that Lynch and Shanahan have kept the team’s trade lines open. Naturally, most teams would flock to enquire about Aiyuk and trade deals with him at the center of it.
Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are part of the San Francisco 49ers’ long-term plans
However, the team has dubbed him and wide receiver Deebo Samuel as being off-the-limits. The duo confirmed to Wagoner that despite the 49ers’ efforts, no deals were able to come close to happening. At the same time, deals involving Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel were unlikely in the first place.
The San Francisco 49ers picked Ricky Pearsall, with the 31st pick in the NFL Draft. This further led to an increase in speculation that the team was preparing to part ways with Aiyuk. The wide receiver has reportedly reached out to Lynch and Shanahan soon after the team’s draft choice was made public via a text that praised them, “Fire pick, can’t lie.”
While the 49ers have continued to state that they intend to bring Aiyuk back. He will enter the fifth and final year of his rookie contract against his hopes of doing so with a fresh contract. It remains unclear the ballpark number Aiyuk is looking to be paid, however, he has kept it no secret that he wants to be paid what he is worth.
More must-reads: