Brandon Aiyuk was a constant topic of conversation a few weeks ago, when it seemed like a resolution to his contract standoff was imminent. Then, nothing.
It seems obvious the San Francisco 49ers do not want to trade Aiyuk. No contract agreement has been reached. But the 49ers are ready for him to get back to practice.
Aiyuk is under contract, after all. It’s just not the contract he wants.
“At some point you got to play,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
For Aiyuk, the day that he has to play wasn’t Wednesday. Aiyuk was not present at the start of practice on Wednesday. Aiyuk had back and neck issues early in camp, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN, and now that he has been cleared he could be subject to fines for not practicing.
For the entire offseason, the 49ers have taken a high road, saying they want Aiyuk to be a part of their team and not expressing any frustration about Aiyuk’s hold-in or the contract impasse. The tone seemed to change on Wednesday, 12 days before the 49ers are slated to play the New York Jets in Week 1.
Lynch’s comment seemed telling. So did 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan saying Aiyuk had been medically cleared to practice.
“I hope he’s out there,” Shanahan said, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
And nothing changed as Aiyuk was not at the start of practice on Wednesday, via Maiocco.
The 49ers seem to be running out of patience with the situation.
The 49ers did reportedly have the framework of a trade done with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month, but Aiyuk and the Steelers were waiting on the 49ers to sign off. The 49ers never did, and it’s fair to wonder if they had any genuine intention of trading their leading receiver from last season or just wanted another team to set the market on a new contract.
The 49ers are chasing a Super Bowl this season and they’re further from that goal without Aiyuk. It’s not surprising they aren’t too interested in trading him.
And now, near the end of August, they seem to be ready to exert their leverage, which is his $14.1 million salary to play this season. As Lynch said, at some point he’s going to have to play if he wants that money.
Aiyuk isn’t the only high-profile 49ers player who isn’t practicing. Left tackle Trent Williams wants a new deal too.
That’s a No. 1 receiver and a future Pro Football Hall of Famer who the 49ers have to wonder if they’ll be on the field for Week 1.
“We value Trent, we love Trent, we want Trent here and I’m hopeful that can happen soon,” Lynch told the media.
This isn’t how the 49ers wanted to start the season. They’re coming off an NFC championship and brought almost all of the roster back. At least they thought they were bringing mostly everyone back, before two of their most important players decided to stay away from the club seeking a new deal.
The 49ers seem close to playing some hardball with Aiyuk as everyone waits for something to happen. We’ll see if Aiyuk soon agrees that at some point he has to play.
