Like many other teams around the league, the San Francisco 49ers are waiting for the return of a star amid contract talks. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk did not show up for the beginning of OTAs this week, signaling his intention to stage a holdout until the team makes progress on an extension. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had little to say regarding the star’s absence, telling reporters he looks forward to “focusing on football.”
“(I feel the) same as I do about all these guys that aren’t here. I mean, I wish they were here, but it’s something that’s part of the business,” Shanahan said. “Anytime it’s the business part, you try to respect it, stay out of it as much as possible. I look forward to the days when we just focus on football.”
Aiyuk is one of several top wide receivers trying to put the pressure on their teams to pony up for a big payday. The Cowboys are practicing without CeeDee Lamb, the Vikings are working without Justin Jefferson, and Tee Higgins is absent from Bengals OTAs. Other teams have stars missing even without contract negotiations like the Texans with new addition Stefon Diggs. With a long season ahead, some players just want to avoid possible injury until participation is mandatory, which is coming up soon.
As a former first-round pick, Aiyuk had a fifth-year option on his rookie deal, which the 49ers opted to exercise instead of working out a long-term deal last year. Now, he’s slated to play for $14.124 million this season, well below market value.
49ers defender Nick Bosa shared on Tuesday that he has reached out to Aiyuk amid the holdout. Bosa landed a five-year, $170 million deal last September.
“We chat a little bit, but not too much about the details,” Bosa said. “I just told him keep his head up and try and stay positive through it all.”
Aiyuk angling for megadeal with 49ers after Super Bowl run
Aiyuk, the 2020 first-round pick out of Arizona State, is coming off his best season to date. He hauled in 75 receptions for a career-high 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns this past season. His performance earned him second-team All-Pro recognition. For his career, he has tallied 269 receptions for 3,931 yards and 25 scores. During San Francisco’s run to Super Bowl LVIII, he had nine catches for 149 yards and his first postseason touchdown.
General manager John Lynch said at the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando this spring that the team is working on a way to make Aiyuk a 49er for the foreseeable future.
“We’re actively talking with Brandon trying to figure something out,” Lynch said. “We have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done to get something done and it takes two sides. So, can we do that? We’ll see. There’s a number of different directions that it could go but we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player, and we want him to be a part of the Niners. We’re going to work towards making that a reality.”
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