‘He wants to be there,’ Brandon Aiyuk’s trade saga takes unexpected turn during 49ers’ negotiations with NFL teams
THE trade saga involving San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk has seen another plot twist.
After reports claimed that the 49ers allowed the NFL wide receiver to seek a move with contract extension talks at a standstill, it looks like he might stay in the San Francisco Bay Area after all.
Aiyuk, 26, is holding out of training camp after negotiations with the 49ers came to a halt in recent weeks.
San Francisco eventually started to listen to trade offers from teams, reports claimed, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns understood to be interested in acquiring the All-Pro wideout.
But the NFL star doesn't necessarily want to play elsewhere, The Athletic's Diana Russini said on the Scoop City podcast Friday with the drama seemingly taking another unexpected turn.
"Brandon Aiyuk wants to be there," Russini said.
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"He wants to play for San Francisco. He moved his family out there in the offseason. They’ve settled down."
Later on Friday, other NFL insiders reported that Aiyuk and San Francisco returned to the negotiating table.
The ex-Arizona State standout is said to have had a sit-down meeting with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and other members of the franchise where "some open and candid thoughts were expressed," per Jordan Schultz.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero added that the team "has made a renewed effort" to sign the wide receiver to a new long-term deal.
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While the situation is "fluid" and other teams, including the Steelers, are still in the running for Aiyuk's signature, "a return to SF appears increasingly possible," Pelissero claimed.
Russini confirmed the reports of the talks resuming in the afternoon while saying that Pittsburgh hadn't engaged in trade conversations with the 49ers in the previous 24 hours.
She also shared a response from an NFL front office executive to her question on the possible reason why San Francisco was not calling back the Steelers.
"Probably wait as long as they can… force someone to blink," the exec wrote.
"Sounds like they really don’t want to trade. Maybe hoping someone else comes along.
"The whole thing is very strange."
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August 27 - Deadline for 53-man rosters
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September 5 - Season opener - Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs
November 5 - Trade deadline
January 5 - Week 18 of regular-season
January 11 - Playoffs begin
February 9 - Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana
Aiyuk is in the last year of his rookie deal, set to pay him $14.1 for the 2024 NFL season.
The former first-round pick finished the 2023 campaign with 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 75 catches.
The 49ers are understood to have agreed to send their star to Cleveland for wide receiver Amari Cooper in addition to second-round and fifth-round picks.
But NBC Sports claimed that Aiyuk said no to the trade.
The San Francisco star himself appears to be tired of all the rumors floating around.
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"Niners be in the media every day lol," he wrote in an Instagram comment on Friday.
"It's two options out there, pick one and stop dropping reports, simple."