Every day is a new development in the Brandon Aiyuk saga.
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner and Matt Barrows of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the 49ers wide receiver was present at the team’s opening practice of training camp but did not participate with his long-term future with the team very much up in the air during an offseason of contract discussions and trade rumors.
He then left the field area and was joined by general manager John Lynch:
Aiyuk was a focal point on Tuesday as well, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that he would report to training camp despite requesting a trade and wanting a new contract.
Rapoport noted there haven’t been “extensive contract talks” between the team and player since May.
Still, Lynch told reporters Tuesday, “We fully intend on Brandon being a Niner.”
A trade would have made more sense from the team’s perspective ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, as it would have allowed the front office the opportunity to acquire more draft picks and potentially select his replacement.
At this stage, the Super Bowl contenders could always keep him for this season and then franchise tag him ahead of next year’s draft and trade him then for 2025 picks.
As of now, Ayiuk, 25, is heading into the fifth and final year of his rookie contract that will pay him $14.1 million in base salary.
The 2020 first-round pick had his best season in 2023, racking up 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns while staying healthy for the third consecutive season.
The 49ers have been able to fortify their roster due in large part to the contract of quarterback Brock Purdy, who was a 2022 seventh-round pick.
Purdy will carry a miniscule cap number each of the next two seasons, allowing the 49ers to lavish other players around him.
Once Purdy’s time to cash in comes, though, there will be some difficult decisions made.
Perhaps that is looming over the Aiyuk discussions as well, as the team and wide receiver have been unable to come to terms on a new deal to this point.
