Contract talks between wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers could be moving forward.
Aiyuk excused himself from San Francisco's voluntary and mandatory workouts earlier this offseason as he sought a lucrative contract extension that is expected to make him one of the NFL's highest-paid receivers.
There have been many ups and downs during months of negotiations, including the 49ers making a trade offer for Aiyuk ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft and most recently Aiyuk claiming in a social media video that San Francisco “doesn’t want him.”
However, the latest developments could be a positive sign that both parties are moving towards an agreement.
ESPN analyst Ryan Clark reported on “NFL Live” on Monday that Aiyuk is meeting with the 49ers on Monday after the star receiver requested a meeting with the team's top brass, and that Aiyuk wants to stay with San Francisco.
“He’s actually meeting with the San Francisco 49ers today,” Clark said on “NFL Live.” “He and his reps, Ryan Williams of Athletes First. And Brandon Aiyuk told us that he wanted to arrange this meeting himself. And when he sat down with The Pivot, he said he’s taking these talks personally. The way they’ve interacted with him, the way they’ve told him what he’s worth, how valuable he is to them, it’s touched him.
“It has affected him. He says he wants to be in San Francisco first, but he's also comfortable playing somewhere else if the San Francisco 49ers are willing to do it via trade.”
Aiyuk posted a photo on social media Sunday night of him boarding a plane with his location tagged “Bay Area, California,” leading to speculation from fans about why he was in the Bay Area even though he had appeared to train elsewhere throughout the offseason.
Well, now we know. Whether or not Monday's surprise meeting with the 49ers leads to a deal soon remains to be seen.
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