The San Francisco 49ers had a long dramatic summer in regard to one of their best pass catchers, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The former first round pick made it know very early on in the offseason that he would not return to the team unless he was given a new contract.
What followed was six long months of contract negotiations and trade rumors. When training camp started, Aiyuk showed up but refused to participate until he received a new deal. When that did not work right away, he demanded a trade.
After demanding a trade, he reportedly turned down at least two trade and contract offers for one reason or another. Finally, shortly before the start of the regular season, he signed a four-year $120 million contract extension to stay with San Francisco, an offer that had been on the table for weeks.
Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers Are Off to a Slow Start
To say that the 49ers are not off to the start they believed they would be before the season started would be an understatement. With running back Christian McCaffrey out to start the year, San Francisco is just 1-2 and has lost each of their last two games.
In addition to McCaffrey’s injury, star players Deebo Samuel and George Kittle have also been dealing with various ailments. Both missed the 49ers’ last game, a 27-24 loss to their division rival Los Angeles Rams.
With so many offensive stars out, one would have thought that Aiyuk would have stepped up and emerged as the $30 million-a-year wide receiver that he is. Thus far, though, he has not.
In three games, Aiyuk has just 11 receptions for 119 yards and no touchdowns.
San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk Threw an Apparent Tantrum at Practice on Friday
On top of their struggles on the field, it appears that Aiyuk and the 49ers have not exactly moved past their awkward offseason. A video captured at practice on Friday showed the star wide receiver in a disagreement with head coach Kyle Shanahan, apparently over the color of shorts Aiyuk wore.
Here’s 90 seconds including Aiyuk’s reaction/tantrum. pic.twitter.com/PIIvwPLp5w
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) September 27, 2024
As one can see in the video above, Aiyuk ends up taking off his gloves, cleats, and shorts before putting on a pair of black shorts apparently left for him on the ground.
It certainly is not a good look for a player who is one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL.
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