San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has walked through a murky offseason of contract negotiations thus far, but he has clarity on where he wants to play in 2024.
Aiyuk told TMZ Sports that he “for sure” wants stay with the 49ers this year. A reporter from the outlet caught Aiyuk at LAX on June 29.
“For sure,” Aiyuk told the reporter when pressed for if he wants to remain a Niner. “For sure!”
It has been anything but certain for the offseason as Aiyuk has called for a bigger contract since the Super Bowl ended in February. His frequent social media posts and occasional interviews have dwarfed much of the other events of the Niners’ offseason.
Aiyuk came off a stellar season where he led the team with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. He has $14.12 million fifth-year extension with the team for 2024, but Aiyuk could make up to $26.5 million annually based on Spotrac’s projection.
Brandon Aiyuk Sees 2 Alternatives to 49ers
That tension has led to Aiyuk trade rumors galore since February, and he has even acknowledged some in that span. He has teased a couple potential destinations even amid recent comments that it’s “probably” the Niners for 2024.
“If I were to take a guess, probably a Niner uniform,” Aiyuk said during “The Pivot” podcast on June 28. “Probably a Niner uniform. If not a Niners uniform, probably a Washington Commanders uniform. If not a Washington Commanders uniform, probably a [Pittsburgh] Steelers uniform.”
Pittsburgh has remained one of the frontrunners amid persistent trade speculation. Aiyuk also had fun with the Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin resemblance on social media.
As for the Commanders, Aiyuk played at Arizona State with Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in 2019. The two reconnected this offseason, which Aiyuk shared on social media — including comments the 49ers “don’t want me back” on June 16.
“They told me that they didn’t think we were on the same page and they didn’t believe they were going to, and that was about it at that time,” Aiyuk explained on “The Pivot” podcast. “But it’s part of the contract negotiations.”
Brandon Aiyuk: ‘It’s a Little Bit Frustrating’
Numbers going public can happen in the process. Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reported an extension offer that would pay $26 million annually on June 6.
“It’s a little bit frustrating, especially when we’re getting down to details like that,” Aiyuk told “The Pivot” podcast. “Like we’re putting down exact numbers in negotiations where that’s talks between the team and my team. We’re trying to work through things, work through a lot of things.
“So for actual numbers and actual stuff like that to come out, I think that it’s a little bit, I felt it was a little bit disrespectful, a little bit unfair to me, but that’s part of it. That’s part of it,” Aiyuk added.
“It is what it is,” Aiyuk continued. “It’s a dirty game. It’s a dirty game, so I just feel like for me, social media is a way for me and my team to leverage myself and to leverage what I’m trying to get because that’s the way to get the message out there. That’s the way to get the facts out there. And the facts are the facts. So if I’m putting facts out there.”
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