San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch gave a cryptic response on whether Brandon Aiyuk will stay on the team amid the ongoing contract negotiations, via KNBR on Friday.
Read more: 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk Saga Appears to Be Reaching Its Conclusion
“You know, I’m not going to characterize any chances or anything,” Lynch said. “I can tell you this, it’s been a long, arduous, hard process, a hard journey. We started this early and for whatever reason haven’t been able to get it across the finish line. That’s been frustrating, but the communication still has been really good both with Brandon and his agent, and we’re trying to figure out solutions. You know I’m always hopeful. I’m an optimistic person in nature, and I’m always hopeful that we’ll get there and get there soon. I can tell you, we feel the urgency to have him, the season’s approaching, and we have ample time.”
LAS VEGAS, NV – FEBRUARY 11: Brandon Aiyuk #11 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on prior to Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, NV. The ongoing Brandon Aiyuk contract situation has dominated NFL news this offseason.
Perry Knotts/Getty Images
The situation has changed a number of times. San Francisco took calls from interested teams ahead of the NFL Draft, but nothing came to fruition.
Aiyuk then held-in throughout training camp which sent the 49ers on a quest to find a viable trade option. It looked as though Aiyuk’s trade was inevitable.
Reports even stated that Aiyuk received a contract offer from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Most recently, rumors swirled that the 49ers were willing to keep the receiver on a long-term contract.
Lynch confirmed that the organization wants to keep the Arizona State product in San Francisco.
“The good news is Brandon is a really, really hard worker, he’s taking great care of himself this offseason, he’s in fantastic shape, but there’s things you have to do on a football field and getting yourself in there with our team. So we’re working hard, and hopefully there’s a resolution soon. That’s all I can share with everyone, I understand the angst of everyone, I understand there’s been all kinds of stories and talk, that’s what people do these days. I don’t like that part of it, but we love BA as a player, I think you see it every time he goes out there representing the Niners, he’s a guy we traded up for in the first round back in the ’20 draft, I remember doing it from my guest house during the covid times, and we’re fortunate to have added him to our squad, and we’d really like to keep him around. So we’ll see how it goes.”
Lynch couldn’t explain why negotiations have taken so long given the fact the the 49ers hope to keep Aiyuk, but taking calls and looking for trade options say otherwise.
“I wish I knew, I wish I knew,” he said. “As I said, we started early, and it’s consumed a lot of our time, my time. I don’t like that it’s taken this long, but it has, and you deal with the challenges that you’re faced with.”
Nevertheless, despite the length of the contract situation, Lynch has confirmed that there isn’t ‘bad blood’ between the two parties.
“No, there’s not bad blood,” he said. “I mean, negotiations can get heated; I think it’s his first time going through that, but no bad blood. I mean people that are here see Brandon out here, there’s a lot of love and respect for the relationship we’ve had and continue to have and hopefully will have into the future.”
While the situation might be troubling for San Francisco fans, the organization is in a coveted position as Lynch juggles to retain the team’s star power.
“You know one thing (other GMs) always say is ‘Man, we’d love to have your problems,” Lynch said. “You’ve got a lot of great players there.’ And I think that’s kudos to our entire organization.”
Although the negotiations have been a grueling process, Aiyuk staying in San Francisco would give the team a much better chance of winning a Super Bowl this season.
