With less than a month to go before their regular-season opener, the San Francisco 49ers’ saga with All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk continues.
Unless you’ve ignored NFL news throughout the offseason, you know that Aiyuk and the 49ers have been mired in a contract stalemate. The former first-round pick is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract and wants a lucrative long-term contract. It led to Aiyuk requesting a trade from the 49ers earlier in the summer.
Most recently, San Francisco found itself in conversations with other teams as it relates to a deal for Aiyuk. That included working out the parameters of a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the same time, Aiyuk and San Francisco have re-engaged in extension conversations for the first time since they stalled back in May.
So, what exactly is happening?
We have a pretty significant update from 49ers practice in Santa Clara on Wednesday. According to multiple media reports, Aiyuk was seen with team gear and doing some light work Wednesday afternoon. He was also seen talking to 49ers general manager John Lynch in what seemed to be a friendly conversation.
Could this be an indication that a deal is on the horizon? The last time we saw Aiyuk be this much of a presence during the summer session was back in late July.
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Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers headed to agreement?
It’s now looking like this is a real possibility. Reports on Tuesday indicated that the two sides were not too far apart when it came to the parameters of a deal. Aiyuk is said to be demanding $30-plus million on a new contract while the 49ers were said to be offering $26 million. Perhaps, they find a happy medium.
It was earlier in the summer that it seemed like Aiyuk was headed out of town. San Francisco had worked out a deal with both the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. But Aiyuk did not want to head to either team.
Now, with weeks to go before their season opener, the 49ers might be close to a long-term extension with one of their most-important players.