The San Francisco 49ers still don’t have a deal in place on a long-term contract with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
It’s not new that the 49ers have taken their time getting a high-priced extension done with a star player. Just last offseason their negotiations with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa lasted until practice began for the first week of the regular season.
While the Aiyuk deal has come with its share of twists and turns, including rampant trade speculation and multiple deals in place with other teams, recent comments from general manager John Lynch don’t appear to be coming from a GM preparing to trade an All-Pro less than a month away from the regular season opener.
Lynch appeared with ‘Murph and Marcus’ on KNBR in San Francisco and talked about how the team feels the pressure to get something done with Aiyuk as the clock ticks down toward the start of the regular season.
“I’m not going to characterize any chances or anything,” Lynch said. “I can tell you this, it’s been a long, arduous, hard process. A hard journey. We started this early and for whatever reason haven’t been able to get it across the finish line. That’s been frustrating, but the communication still has been really good both with Brandon and his agent, and we’re trying to figure out solutions. You know, I’m always hopeful. I’m an optimistic person by nature, and I’m always hopeful that we’ll get there and get there soon. I can tell you we feel the urgency to have him, the season’s approaching.”
Urgency, or lack thereof, has defined the seemingly interminable Aiyuk saga. The 49ers weren’t in a hurry to negotiate. They apparently aren’t in a hurry to trade him. Now they’re left trying to ram through a negotiation in the 11th hour.
That the club feels that urgency is notable. If they were simply feeling pressure to get anything done, they could pull the trigger on a trade with the Steelers. They may ‘lose the deal,’ but the urgency they’re feeling comes from a desire to get a contract done with Aiyuk.
Lynch elaborated further on Aiyuk’s readiness and the team wanting to keep him in the Bay Area.
“The good news is Brandon is a really, really hard worker,” Lynch said. “He’s taking great care of himself this offseason. He’s in fantastic shape, but there’s things you have to do on a football field and getting yourself in there with our team. So, we’re working hard, and hopefully there’s a resolution soon. That’s all I can share with everyone. I understand the angst of everyone. I understand there’s been all kinds of stories and talk, that’s what people do these days. I don’t like that part of it, but we love BA as a player, I think you see it every time he goes out there representing the Niners. He’s a guy we traded up for in the first round back in the (2020) draft. I remember doing it from my guest house during the COVID times, and we’re fortunate to have added him to our squad. And we’d really like to keep him around.”
Those aren’t the words of a GM preparing to punt his 26-year-old All-Pro to Pittsburgh. It’s been clear throughout the offseason the 49ers want to keep Aiyuk. Based on Aiyuk’s actions and continued negotiations with the 49ers, it’s clear staying in San Francisco is his desired outcome as well.
Lynch can’t come out and say what’s actually going on in negotiations. Reading between the lines of his hit with KNBR provides real optimism that things are heading the right direction with just over three weeks to go until the regular season opener.
