The San Francisco 49ers and Second Team All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have been at odds over a new contract extension since the day after the team lost Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs. After coming back to Levi Stadium to clean out his locker for the offseason, Aiyuk and his girlfriend posted a video on social media stating that this may be their last time coming back.
What followed was a months-long saga of contract negotiations that led to dozens of trade rumors involving Aiyuk. Many believed that the All-Pro would be traded ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, but the 49ers decided that they wanted to continue negotiating.
The problem, of course, came when San Francisco stopped holding extensive negotiations in May. The lack of communication with the organization led Aiyuk to request a trade.
San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk Held Out for a New Contract During OTA’s
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Since Aiyuk and the 49ers were making no progress on contract negotiations, the Second Team All-Pro decided to skip San Francisco’s voluntary workouts during OTA’s. This came as no surprise, of course. However, he also skipped the team’s mandatory minicamp at the end of June.
Aiyuk’s absence, as well as his numerous interviews regarding his contract situation, only fueled trade rumors. For his part, the former first round NFL Draft pick told his former college teammate, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, that San Francisco had told him they did not want him anymore.
He also did an interview in which he stated that he could see himself playing for the 49ers, Commanders, or Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.
Through it all, the front office stood firm. It did not bend to the pressure Aiyuk was putting on them to get a deal done. They knew it would be only a matter of time before he reported to the team to get ready for the upcoming season.
And they were right.
San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk Is Reporting for Training Camp
In a breaking report on X (formerly Twitter), NFL insider Ian Rapoport stated that Aiyuk will, in fact, report for training camp with the 49ers:
#49ers star WR Brandon Aiyuk is reporting to training camp, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo, despite his desires for a new contract.
The team has not held extensive contract talks since May and because of that, Aiyuk has requested a trade. pic.twitter.com/OsoviQOmBr
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 23, 2024
This does not mean that Aiyuk has taken back his trade request. However, he is smart enough to know that he is more marketable if he is playing.
That being said, there were five teams that were willing to both trade for and pay Aiyuk before the NFL Draft. Whatever they were offering, though, did not move the 49ers. It is hard to imagine that they would get anything close to those offers now.
Most likely, Aiyuk is going to remain with the 49ers for the 2024 season. Next offseason, fans will undoubtedly follow whatever drama unfolds as he hits free agency or has the franchise tag placed on him.
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