At this point, we can all agree that the Brandon Aiyuk situation is strange.
I can think of about a dozen other descriptors, but only a few of them are publishable.
Months have passed and seemingly no progress has been made on a long-term deal for the 49ers’ second-team All-Pro wide receiver, while Aiyuk still hangs around the team – he even traveled to Las Vegas for the Niners’ preseason game on Friday – but continues to flirt with other teams on social media.
In the meantime, General Manager John Lynch is constantly having personal conversations with the player.
Not his agent. The player.
This is not normal, folks.
And what did it get them? Nothing of note was accomplished, so there is reason to be skeptical about whether anything will come together in the next two weeks before the Niners’ season opener against the Jets.
Aiyuk wants it all – money, respect and wins. He wants to be a Niner. Why else would he hang out at the facility every day?
There is one problem, however: the Niners cannot make all of this possible for him.
And the bigger problem: For him, these negotiations – this stern, business-like matter – have clearly become personal and emotional. While that’s understandable, it’s hardly conducive to finding a solution. Hence the constant calls for player and GM meetings (so weird), the Instagram likes, and the general inscrutability of this entire process.
Seriously, how many times did Trent Williams need a face-to-face meeting this summer?
(No, his negotiation is much simpler: I’ll show up for work when you have my money. Let my agent know when that is.)
San Francisco is right to play hardball with Aiyuk. The receiver wants the highest price on the market, but he is not widely viewed as a top-tier player. With Brock Purdy’s mega-contract coming up next season, the Niners can no longer afford to overpay players – even outstanding ones. Add in the unnecessary drama, and it’s clear: These two parties really should part ways.
But Aiyuk doesn’t want to play for big money on a bad team with a bad or young quarterback (those are the only teams willing to give him the money he wants), and the 49ers are terrified of moving on from their starting wide receiver “X,” who just rushed for two straight 1,000-yard seasons, as they enter what could be the last season of their Super Bowl careers.
Both sides are too afraid to be alone.
We’ve all had relationships like this, right?
No, just me?
OK, so, from experience I can say that this whole “thing” will only be resolved when one party gets tougher and hits the table.
The Niners have to be that party.
On Tuesday, all NFL teams will reduce their rosters to 53 men and Aiyuk will be on the Niners’ final roster.
However, Tuesday may also be the day for possible negotiations with Aiyuk.
Lost in all the confusion is the fact that the wide receiver has a contract for the 2024 season. The Niners exercised Aiyuk’s option for a fifth year in April… 2023.
And Kyle Shanahan broke through that, um, nonsense on Friday, saying that Aiyuk traveled to the game because that’s what “healthy” players do. The claim that Aiyuk’s game is unsustainable doesn’t hold water.
The Niners’ ultimatum should be clear: you’re healthy, you’re under contract, and we’re no closer to a deal than we were six months ago — we’ve tried to trade you to a place of your choosing, but we’ve made our best offer and are done negotiating. Take it or leave it.
Anyway, it’s time to get to work.
Frankly, such a move could prove to be best for both sides.
Either it forces Aiyuk to accept the Niners’ offer, or both the player and the team get a season of betting on themselves in 2024. Aiyuk can prove he’s right – that he deserves every dollar he’s asking for and more – or the Niners see it as justified not paying him the same as Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson.
Yes, it might cause some discomfort for a while, both in the locker room and with the media, but that will pass. Everyone in the NFL is basically on a one-year contract anyway.
Ultimately, the two parties can come together and negotiate a new contract, or the Niners can trade him before the draft and threaten a franchise tag to keep him.
The Niners could then perhaps get even more in a trade. The best offer currently on the table is reportedly a second-round and third-round pick from the Steelers. This will certainly be the case in February.
And who knows, maybe the Niners will have a Super Bowl trophy in their hands by then.
