Still in search of a new, lucrative contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers, standout wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is going to have to wait a bit longer.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, contract talks have “stalled” between the 49ers and Aiyuk as the franchise wants to wait and see what happens between now and the start of training camp in late July, covering the next six weeks.
During a Monday appearance on SportsCenter, Fowler gave an update on Aiyuk’s contract talks.
“So, Aiyuk and the 49ers have negotiated, but things have stalled a bit, which is somewhat common for this time of year,” Fowler said on SportsCenter, according to video via his Twitter page. “They’re gonna see what happens over the next six weeks leading into training camp. The 49ers want Aiyuk long-term in the fold, but so far they have not been willing to show that they’re gonna meet the market of wide receiver, which we’re seeing these massive numbers.
“Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit, 30 million. Justin Jefferson, well above that. Aiyuk believes he’s a top guy and so something’s gotta give. And so he’s worked himself into a top 10 receiver conversation. We’ll see. Not a lot of momentum there right now. Not a lot of optimism.”
Hitting on Bengals WRs, Aiyuk and Kamara on @SportsCenter from over weekend — pre-Aiyuk’s TikTok clip. The 49ers have made efforts to extend him. But the sense is things have stalled.
(with @RandyScottESPN) pic.twitter.com/vsLL0OY3EN
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 17, 2024
Fowler’s report Monday matches quite a bit that has come out in recent weeks about Aiyuk and the 49ers. Two weeks ago, Aiyuk’s personal WR coach in former Bengals and Ravens wide receiver T.J. Housmanzadeh stated that Aiyuk is pessimistic about getting a long-term extension done with the 49ers.
Another report a few days later from 49ers’ insider Mike Silver stated that the 49ers’ offer is $26 million a year for Aiyuk, which doesn’t come close to the market that has been set in recent months by receivers across the NFL landscape.
Then on Monday morning, Aiyuk released a video on his personal TikTok stating to new Washington Commanders’ quarterback Jayden Daniels that “they don’t want me back” hinting at the 49ers and the contract negotiations.
Brandon Aiyuk’s post on TikTok…👀
*On FaceTime with Jayden Daniels*
Daniels: “What happened bro”
Aiyuk: “They said they don’t want me back…I swear” pic.twitter.com/d2ldVFHWa9
— OffSzn (@jpet82) June 17, 2024
It’s just the latest in Aiyuk’s contract saga with the 49ers. Though the 49ers have stated multiple times publicly that they want Aiyuk to be part of the team long-term moving forward, their actions have said otherwise, locking up running back Christian McCaffrey to a lucrative long-term deal, extending Jauan Jennings and more.
Aiyuk seems very frustrated, and with a stall in contract talks, it could lead to a holdout or a hold-in for Aiyuk in training camp. It’ll be interesting to see if anything shakes loose from a trade perspective there with Aiyuk, though the 49ers have been adamant that they aren’t looking to trade their star receiver.
The Steelers were reportedly close once, depending on what reporting you believe. It wouldn’t be a surprise to hear the Steelers connected to Aiyuk once again over the next six weeks.
