The relationship between No. 1 receiver Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers appears to be at a major impasse, to say the least, and he is growing weary and tired of playing the waiting game with the franchise.
The star wide receiver has officially put all his cards on the table and has requested a trade out of San Francisco after the two parties failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension this offseason, NFL Network’s insider Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday morning, citing a source with knowledge of the situation.
Garafolo notes that the 49ers “have not been willing to engage in negotiations” over the last two months, despite a “good meeting” between Aiyuk and the team in June, leading Aiyuk to “respectfully” ask out.
All offseason, both sides have attempted to come to the table in an effort to negotiate a new contract for the 26-year-old. Frustrations have boiled over and obscure messages have gone viral on social media, but even with all of the turmoil, Aiyuk and the 49ers remained hopeful that a deal would finally get done.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, with 49ers training camp just around the corner, only days away, and a resolution to the problem nowhere in sight, Aiyuk’s patience with the organization appears to have run out.
In a recent podcast appearance, Aiyuk was candid about his emotions and how he is handling the intense negotiation process. He admitted he is taking the conversations “personal” and believes he deserves to get fairly compensated for his production on the field.
The Arizona State Sun Devils product reportedly is looking for a new contract in the ballpark of Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown’s $28 million-per-year deal, but San Francisco’s most recent offer was in the $26 million range, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver.
Aiyuk, during that same podcast appearance, expressed his displeasure with the numbers of the contract offer being leaked, stating it was a “little bit frustrating” to see details from private negotiations going public.
“It is what it is,” Aiyuk said on “The Pivot Podcast.” “It’s a dirty game. It’s a dirty game, so I just feel like for me, social media is a way for me and my team to leverage myself and to leverage what I’m trying to get because that’s the way to get the message out there.
“That’s the way to get the facts out there. And the facts are the facts.”
With the 49ers yet to offer Aiyuk the number he believes he is worth, he now wants out of the Bay area.
However, according to multiple reports, including one from ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, several other teams around the league have reached out to the 49ers regarding a potential trade for Aiyuk, but have been told San Francisco has “no intention” of trading him.
Under the regime of coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, the 49ers have been able to sign most of their stars to extensions prior to them hitting free agency, though those players, Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and end Nick Bosa, have had to wait until late July and beyond for such deals to get done.
Get your popcorn ready. This movie could have a surprising ending.
