49ers forced to cancel joint practice with Saints due to having ‘not enough able bodies’ with Aiyuk & Williams holdouts
THE San Francisco 49ers' tough summer continues with the team forced to cancel a joint practice session with the New Orleans Saints.
With stars Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams holding out due to contract issues, the 49ers didn't have enough healthy players to train with the NFC rival.
As many as 23 players missed the last practice for various reasons before San Francisco's 17-13 preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, the Bay Area News Group's Cam Inman reported.
With a big part of the 90-man roster unavailable, the 49ers decided not to join the Saints at training camp in Irvine, California, for scrimmages on Thursday and Friday.
"Kyle reached out to me yesterday, making me aware that they have some things going on in terms of having enough able bodies to have some good practices," Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Sunday.
After the loss to Tennesee, Shanahan said he would still like to see his players practice with another NFL team.
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"It’s awesome to get a chance to scrimmage against people," the 49ers head coach said.
"We’re a little banged up so we have to figure out how to pull that out.
"Last week we had 23 guys out last time practice, so hopefully we get more of them back so we have a decent scrimmage."
The 49ers are yet to resolve contract standoffs with Aiyuk, 26, and Williams, 36.
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Recent reports claim that the team resumed talks over a new deal with the All-Pro wide receiver.
"Brandon Aiyuk wants to be there," NFL insider Diana Russini said Friday.
"He wants to play for San Francisco. He moved his family out there in the offseason. They’ve settled down."
The possibility of Aiyuk staying at Levi's Stadium is understood to be increasingly likely despite San Francisco listening to offers for the star wideout.
Still, the situation is fluid, reports claim, with the Pittsburgh Steelers remaining a team to watch out for in the Aiyuk sweepstakes.
While Aiyuk's rookie deal expires next year, Williams' contract is valid until 2027.
NFL important dates
August 1 - Hall of Fame Game - Houston Texans vs Chicago Bears
August 8 - Pre-season begins
August 27 - Deadline for 53-man rosters
September 1 - Final day of pre-season
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
But the star offensive tackle is understood to be happy holding out for as long as necessary to force the 49ers to give him a pay rise.
The 11-time Pro Bowler's boycott has cost him $50,000 per day since training camp opened.
It got even more costly on Saturday when Williams missed the preseason matchup with the Titans.
The All-Pro offensive lineman reportedly lost $1.1 million, or a week's worth of his base salary, because of the absence.
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The 49ers will continue the preseason with a clash against the Saints on Sunday, August 18.
They will open the 2024 NFL regular season with a home matchup against the New York Jets on Monday, September 9.