There was an open question whether San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk would report for training camp on Tuesday.
Aiyuk was a holdout from mandatory minicamp as he seeks a lucrative long-term deal. More recently, the All-Pro wide receiver requested a trade from the 49ers.
While said request was more of a negotiating tactic, it raised some alarms about Aiyuk’s long-term future in Northern California.
The good news? Aiyuk did report to training camp with the rest of his team. The bad news? He’s likely going to be a hold-in and refrain from practicing until a new contract is agreed to.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch held a presser on Tuesday as camp going going from Santa Clara. Lynch himself offered up an interesting quote as it relates to Aiyuk and his future with the 49ers.
“We fully intend on Brandon being a Niner moving forward, but always open to listen to things. We expect Brandon to be an integral part of our team like he has been and excited about that,” Lynch told reporters, via KNBR.
This is pretty much the first time that the 49ers’ brass has admitted publicly that it would listen to trade offers for Aiyuk. Lynch and Co. had previously indicated that the plan for the former first-round pick was for him to be in a 49ers uniform long-term. While that’s still the thinking, this could open the door to more trade talks.
Related: Two teams reportedly willing to pay insane number to acquire Brandon Aiyuk
Should the San Francisco 49ers trade Brandon Aiyuk?
Unless San Francisco can get an immediate contributor at a need position, it makes no sense to move on from Aiyuk. The team is one of the top Super Bowl contenders after just falling short of that ultimate goal against the Kansas City Chiefs this past Februry.
As for Aiyuk, he played an important role in the 49ers’ success.
- Brandon Aiyuk stats (2023): 75 receptions, 1,342 yards, 7 TD
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy completed 71% of his passes with an insane 124.0 QB rating when targeting Aiyuk last season.
Long-term, it might not be viable to retain Aiyuk. He’s said to be demanding at least $30 million per season. San Francisco boasts some of the highest-paid players at their respective postions in the NFL. The team will also have to sign Purdy to what will likely be a record-breaking extension next offseason.
For now, Aiyuk is at camp. It’s anyone’s best guess what will happen after that.
Read more: Updated San Francisco 49ers news and rumors