With a post on TikTok on Monday, Brandon Aiyuk increased the mystery surrounding his contract standoff with the San Francisco 49ers.
In the video, Aiyuk is having a FaceTime conversation with his former Arizona State teammate, quarterback Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders.
Daniels is told by Aiyuk, “They said they don’t want me back.”
“That’s it?” Daniels asks in response.
When Aiyuk spoke the words “I swear,” Daniels exclaimed, “My boy!”
“Im laughing but im crying fr.” is what Aiyuk put as the post’s caption.
It’s unclear whether Aiyuk meant that the 49ers don’t want him back for this season or if he meant that the team doesn’t want him back because they can’t agree to his demands for a big contract extension.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN revealed over the weekend that negotiations between Aiyuk and the 49ers “have stalled a bit.”
With his rookie contract coming to an end, Aiyuk will have $14.124 million count against the salary limit in 2024. The wide receiver just finished a season with 75 receptions, 1,342 yards, and seven touchdowns.
He missed the 49ers’ required minicamp and did not take part in the team’s offseason programme. He might be fined more than $101,000 for not attending the minicamp.
With his recent four-year agreement at an average of $35 million per season, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson reset the wide receiver market and became the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. This offseason, extensions were also agreed to by A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles ($32 million per season), Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions ($30 million per season), and Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins ($28.25 million per season).
Throughout the summer, 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel has maintained frequent communication with Aiyuk, giving assistance as required in navigating the contract issue, as he said during the team’s minicamp. The delayed progress of his contract negotiations led Samuel to seek a trade before he signed to a three-year deal with the 49ers in 2022. He has advised Aiyuk to be patient above everything else.
“At the end of the day, you want to get what you deserve, and you hope it happens,” said Samuel. However, it will not occur in the time frame that you have in mind. It’s simply a waiting game in this case; you just let his agent talk to them, and they talk back, and that’s all there is to it for a while.”
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