As Brandon Aiyuk steps into the final stretch of his rookie contract, the buzz around his future with the San Francisco 49ers is heating up. Despite ongoing talks throughout the offseason, a long-term extension remains difficult to track down. Aiyuk recently shed some light on the situation during an appearance on “The Pivot” podcast.
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The San Fransisco wide receiver revealed some insights during his conversation with hosts Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor. The 49ers had potentially reached out to him with a sobering message: they felt the two sides weren’t seeing eye to eye on his contract demands.
“They told me they didn’t think we were on the same page. They didn’t believe we were going to reach an agreement. That was pretty much it at the time. But you know how contract talks go – there’s always a bit of back-and-forth. Whether that’s 100% true or not, I guess we’ll find out.” Aiyuk shared.
Interestingly enough, Aiyuk also mentioned that at one point, his agents and the team were “super close” to sealing a deal that met his expectations.
Apparently, he was so pumped about the progress that he even told his agents to have his suit ready as he was eager to get back to work. But in recent months, the Niners front office seems to have second thoughts, with discussions drifting further from common ground.
Brandon Aiyuk Discusses The Effect Recent Deals Could Have on His Deal
When Fred Taylor probed about the influence of recent NFL deals on his contract demands, Brandon Aiyuk didn’t mince words. He admitted these market shifts have indeed played a significant role in shaping his expectations. As the offseason kicked off, Aiyuk had a clear figure in mind for his extension with the 49ers.
The wide receiver painted a picture of constant back-and-forth between his agents and the 49ers’ front office early on. But lately? It has been radio silence. Aiyuk’s initial hopes have had to evolve as other teams around the league opened their wallets for their star players.
“They got paid. Their teams rewarded them, the market changed and that’s what the market is,” Aiyuk explained and continued: “We couldn’t get a deal done before other guys affected the market. I wanted to do my own thing, but even then, they didn’t agree with where I was at. Truth is, we haven’t seen eye to eye this whole time, and for the past month, it’s been pretty quiet.”
Adding another layer to this contract drama is Aiyuk’s close friendship with Jayden Daniels, the Washington Commanders’ newly drafted QB. This connection has many believe that there is an air about a potential move.
Aiyuk even mused how he might look in a Commanders or Steelers jersey if things don’t work out with the 49ers during the episode.
