The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk are headed towards what could end up becoming a very messy divorce. Ever since the team lost Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs, the All-Pro wide receiver has made it abundantly clear that he will not play for the 49ers again unless he receives a new contract.
The day after the Super Bowl, Aiyuk’s girlfriend posted a video of herself and Aiyuk outside of Levi’s Stadium. In the video, she said that this might be the last time they visited the home of the 49ers because “we don’t know if we’ll be back next year.”
The viral video was the kickoff of what was to become a long and arduous negotiation process between San Francisco and one of their most important players.
The San Francisco 49ers Could Have Traded Brandon Aiyuk Before the 2024 NFL Draft
After the video, Aiyuk and the 49ers began negotiating a new contract extension. Scheduled to play on his fifth-year option worth approximately $14.5 million, the All-Pro was/is seeking a substantial raise after making $12 million in his first four NFL seasons.
While the nature of their talks were not specifically leaked, the situation had grown so frustrating that many believed that San Francisco would trade Aiyuk during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Of course, that did not happen. However, recent reports revealed that there were numerous teams willing to trade for the All-Pro and pay him what he wants before the draft started. The 49ers could not find anyone who wanted to meet their asking price, though.
San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk Has Been in the Middle of Trade Rumors All Summer
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The offseason dragged on and, despite San Francisco’s stance that they wanted to keep him, trade rumors involving Aiyuk continued to swirl. These rumors came amidst reports that the All-Pro wide receiver was asking for $30 million per year, but that the 49ers were capping their counteroffers at $26 million a season.
Back in June, Aiyuk furthered the rumor machine by publicly stating that he could see himself playing for the Washington Commanders or Pittsburgh Steelers (or the 49ers) in 2024.
Furthermore, Aiyuk was seen on video telling Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels (one of his former college teammates) that San Francisco had told him that they did not want him anymore.
Still, no traction was gained in contract or trade talks.
Training camp began and Aiyuk showed up, though he refused to participate in practice. He also formerly requested a trade away from San Francisco, and the trade rumors have been pumping at full force ever since.
NFL Analyst Says Brandon Aiyuk Has More Power than the San Francisco 49ers in Trade Talks
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During a segment on NFL Network, NFL insider Ian Rapoport gave his take on the Brandon Aiyuk trade situation. He said:
From Inside Training Camp: #49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk doesn’t have a no trade clause, but make no mistake — he has plenty of say in where he’ll play in 2024. And where he chooses will be fascinating. pic.twitter.com/H85GQtvvMw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 6, 2024
“He does not have a no-trade clause. We make a as big of a deal as we should about no-trade clauses. But, man, he has a lot of power. The fact that he would be getting a contract with whatever new team… means that he has a lot of say in where he goes.”
The question that no one can seem to answer is what team that will be.
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