The San Francisco 49ers contract negotiations with star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk continue to drag on. Aiyuk has officially requested a trade, and insiders have reported that multiple teams are interested in him. However, that does not mean that the 49ers have any plans on sending him away.
Brandon Aiyuk reported for 49ers training camp despite his contract situation. However, he did not practice on Wednesday.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if that was a sign that a new deal is imminent.
“I don’t really know what it means,” Shanahan told reporters. “It just means his back is sore today and his neck is sore. So going to stay out of practice, which obviously is a hold in. And so we expected it, and I understand the situation fully.”
Hold ins are common practice this time of year. These usually involve a player missing practice time due to an injury, whether it is real or imaginary.
This seems to be new territory for this Shanahan regime.
“I don’t think we’ve had a hold in,” Shanahan said. “So I don’t see much difference between a hold in and a hold out. It’s probably better for them to hold in because so they don’t get fines since you can’t rescind them like you could back in the day. But I don’t see much difference. . . . I think it’s better for them I think too that at least they can be around here, in meetings and stuff like that.”
Former NFL CB Aqib Talib labels 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk “top-three wide receiver”
![Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (32) chases down San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) on a late first quarter pass play. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the San Francisco 49ers at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL Sunday, November 12, 2023. The Jaguars trailed 13 to 3 at the half. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Tyson-Campbell.jpg)
Talib recently appeared on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams. He dropped a huge hot take, claiming that he views Brandon Aiyuk as one of the three best receivers in the NFL.
“Aiyuk is emerging, he’s probably my top three receivers right now. If you get him with a real quarterback he can go crazy.”
Talib made it clear that he doesn't simply look at the box score to determine his evaluation of Aiyuk.
“Man, I don’t really go off the stats, I go off the player,” Talib said. “His body control, his routes, his hands, his speed, he can easily be a top three receiver in the league. If you put him on a team, make him the focal guy, he would go crazy.”
Talib may not use statistics to evaluate players, but they still point in favor of Aiyuk being one of the NFL's best. Aiyuk logged 76 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.
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