The San Francisco 49ers have been in the news all offseason over speculation about trading star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He is due a long-term contract extension and is playing on the fifth-year option in 2024. Contract negotiations have been at a standstill, which has led to the trade rumors. One NFL insider shed some light on the situation recently.
NFL insider Ian Rapaport recently talked about Brandon Aiyuk and his connection with Commanders QB Jayden Daniels on NFL Network.
Rapaport tried to make a distinction between which parts of the story are offseason fluff and which parts are facts.
“First of all, it's not like Brandon Aiyuk is getting practice film of the Commanders,” Rapaport begins. “Brandon Aiyuk, who is an awesome player, has done a great job of getting everybody talking during a slow time [of the NFL calendar.]… All of these things are happening in a dead time in the NFL so we're talking about it a lot.”
Rapaport is right to point out the fact that simply talking about a possible trade does not mean it will happen. This just happens to be a long-lingering story during a time when media outlets are starved for football news.
“What is facts, though,” Rapaport continued, “is that Brandon Aiyuk, who for sure deserves a huge contract extension, does not have one yet. It really makes you wonder as well: is he going to step on the field without a new deal?”
“This market has defined itself very well,” Rapaport concluded. “The fact that he does not have a deal done [means] the clock is ticking on him.”
We hope that San Francisco can agree to terms with Aiyuk and keep him in the Bay Area for the rest of his NFL career.
49ers' Brandon Aiyuk teases Jayden Daniels reunion with Washington Commanders
One of the main sources of fuel for Aiyuk's trade rumors are his relationship with Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels.
The pair are close friends who played together at Arizona State University for one season. Washington has a need for a playmaking wide receiver, so many have connected the dots that the Commanders could trade for Aiyuk.
Aiyuk once again teased that possibility during an appearance on The Pivot Podcast.
“I feel like I’m in the right spot with the right quarterback right now,” Aiyuk said to Ryan Clark, “but we’re not on the right terms so…”
Clark also asked Aiyuk a smart question about his relationship with Daniels. It led to a revealing answer.
“When you’re FaceTiming JD (Jayden Daniels) or you’re talking about him being your friend, I know you’ve never demanded a trade but if a trade happens, and that place happens to be Washington, how great would it be to reunite with someone you’re not only close to on the field perspective but in your personal life, like Jayden who is also that talented,” Clark asked.
Aiyuk responded by seemingly setting a timeline in which a decision could be made on whether or not he'll finally budge and request a trade out of San Francisco.
“I have one more meeting set up with the 49ers we'll see how it goes, if it doesn't go in a direction in which we are hoping for it to go then it would be great to link up with a great friend of mine, a brother, great person, teammate, and player that I feel could take my game to the next level.”
49ers fans are hoping that this situation can resolve itself ASAP.
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