It doesn't appear that star receiver Brandon Aiyuk wants to remain with the San Francisco 49ers, given the current contract stalemate. A trade has been requested, in fact.
And if one develops, there are certainly plenty of others interested. Per Mike Reiss of ESPN, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots are among those teams. All three have been in contact with San Francisco.
"49ers coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Tuesday that Aiyuk has permission to negotiate with other teams but said there's still a scenario where a deal gets done to keep Aiyuk in San Francisco," Reiss wrote. "Aiyuk was at the 49ers' facility Tuesday but did not participate in practice as he continued his 'hold in.'"
That's right, Aiyuk is practicing but wants out. (For now, anyway.)
Talks with the Steelers have reportedly stalled, though they could be revisited. Certainly others besides the Steelers, Browns and Pats could enter the mix, too.
"The situation could lead to several outcomes, including Aiyuk staying with the 49ers and playing out the fifth-year option on his rookie deal that would pay him $14.124 million, sources said," Reiss wrote. "Other teams are willing to pay Aiyuk more than twice as much, but he has balked so far at multiple offers, according to sources.
"The 49ers also have to be comfortable with any trade compensation, and sources told ESPN that the reigning NFC champions are willing to keep Aiyuk."
In other words, stay tuned. This is the NFL and this is where things can get crazy. It's hard to believe the Niners would actually deal him, but from the sounds of things, they're at least pretending to be serious that they could.
"Aiyuk, a second-team All-Pro in 2023, is entering the option year of his rookie deal. He's due to make $14.1 million this season," wrote Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "Before the draft, we heard that the 49ers quietly gave Aiyuk's agents permission to seek a trade. That came after the 49ers had told the Steelers in February that Aiyuk wasn't available."
