It's been a rocky offseason for Brandon Aiyuk, as he has spent the past few months looking for a contract extension from the San Francisco 49ers that simply hasn't come his way. That led to him officially requesting a trade off the team recently, and as a result, everyone expected him to not report for the start of the 49ers training camp.
As it turns out, though, that's exactly what the star wide receiver ended up doing. Even though he just recently requested a trade, and has been very vocal on his feelings about not getting a new contract, Aiyuk has shocked fans by reporting for the start of San Francisco's training camp with the rest of his teammates on Tuesday afternoon.
Brandon Aiyuk saga takes another surprising turn
Aiyuk's saga with the Niners has been all over the place this offseason. At first, it seemed like an extension was likely. Then, it seemed like he was on the verge of getting traded during the 2024 NFL Draft. After that didn't happen, it seemed like extension talks would take off, but they never did. Aiyuk had been making cryptic posts on social media for quite some time, and it finally culminated in him requesting a trade.
It didn't stop there, though, because Aiyuk zigged when everyone else was expecting him to zag by showing up for training camp. While this doesn't necessarily mean he will be on the field practicing, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise to see him hold out after he requested a trade. He could potentially conduct a hold-in of sorts, but guessing how this situation will unfold moving forward is a fool's errand at this point.
This whole situation is so noteworthy because of how good Aiyuk has become for the 49ers. He fully broke out for them last season (75 REC, 1342 YDS, 7 TD), and it's clear he's going to get paid at some point in the future. San Francisco's general manager John Lynch reaffirmed that he wants to be the one writing Aiyuk's checks with a few quick comments after he reported.
Via Mike Garafolo:
“49ers GM John Lynch: ‘We fully intend on Brandon (Aiyuk) being a Niner.; Calls him an ‘integral part of this team.'”
Just when it seemed like we knew what Aiyuk was going to do next, he ends up reporting to training camp, so once again, this is a situation that bears watching. The hope is that the two sides can find common ground on an extension and get a deal done soon, but it seems like it may be awhile before it reaches its conclusion.
Follow Us
Subscribe
