Putting even more cold water on the fire of Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters during Tuesday’s NFC coaches breakfast his goal was to strike a long-term deal with Aiyuk sooner than later.
Asked about Aiyuk’s situation, Shanahan echoed GM John Lynch’s thoughts of wanting to keep Aiyuk with the team.
“He’s doing good,” Shanahan said of Aiyuk via reporter Dave Lombardi’s YouTube channel. “Hopefully he gets this done sooner than later.”
Shanahan relayed the story of running into Aiyuk in Cabo last week, the two staying in the same hotel, as well as noting Aiyuk had been in the 49ers’ building a few times throughout the offseason.
Yesterday, Lynch said there was zero truth to the rumors of an Aiyuk deal, even noting that he joked with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin about the idea during their Pro Day visit to Michigan on Friday.
While the 49ers may face some difficulty making all the high-priced pieces work, spending money on RB Christian McCaffrey, LB Fred Warner, DE Nick Bosa, and WR Deebo Samuel among others, there’s likely a way for them to fit Aiyuk into the fold, too. It helps paying a cheap deal to QB Brock Purdy, who isn’t eligible for a contract extension until the 2025 offseason.
Playing on his fifth-year option and final year of his rookie deal, rumors around Aiyuk have picked up in recent weeks. Given the Steelers’ need at wide receiver and reporting indicating the team could make a big splash at the position, connecting the dots to Aiyuk wasn’t difficult. Pittsburgh also has just enough cap space to take on his initial deal before presumably finalizing an extension that would lower his 2024 cap charge. Aiyuk figures to be looking for at least $22 million average yearly value, if not more.
If the 49ers are to be believed, they have no intention of sending Aiyuk anywhere this offseason. Of course, talking up a desire to keep a talented player like Aiyuk is just good PR. And nothing is finalized until he signs an extension. But if a move were to be made, it almost certainly would take place prior to next month’s NFL draft, allowing the 49ers the chance to select his replacement from a deep and talented wide receiver class.
