John Lynch said Aiyuk’s negotiations have been challenging.
The San Francisco 49ers‘ last domino heading into the regular season is to extend star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. As veterans reported to the facility yesterday for training camp, Aiyuk did report, but it is uncertain if this is a “hold-in” situation. However you slice it, it is an excellent thing Aiyuk is in the building.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Aiyuk won’t practice due to back and neck soreness: “He’s going to stay out of practice, which is obviously a ‘hold in.’ It’s what we expected. I understand the situation fully.”
An extension with a few commas in it would have Aiyuk feeling fresh and better than ever.
The 49ers have run into this issue with previous negotiations. However, this situation feels a bit different compared to the Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa situations with the signings of other receivers around the league and the public nature of the discussions.
John Lynch spoke to the media ahead of the players reporting and elaborated on this specific negotiation.
You have been able to work at these huge contracts for the star players like Bosa and Deebo in the past. Has this been one of the more challenging ones since you’ve come to Santa Clara?
“I think first of all, I think it’s important to note, we’re fortunate to be in this position where we have a lot of talented players, so you have to have these conversations. This one has been challenging. As I said, we set it out, we started it earlier than we have in the past, made it a priority. And there’s a lot of dynamics. I’m not going to get into all of them, but there’s a lot of dynamics as to why it’s been challenging. And the fifth-year option is something we all sign up for when you have a first-round pick and that’s been out there, but we’ve tried diligently to get this done. We haven’t been able to get there. What I’ve learned from my past experiences for the last seven years going into our eighth is that sometimes when you think there’s no way this thing’s going to progress, they do. Sometimes when you think, ‘alright, this thing’s done tomorrow’ it’s not. So you just keep going. You stay in communication and you understand that it’s a business. I’ve been in their shoes. I know where they’re at. I know the challenges. I take a lot of pride in having things done so that our team can focus on the job at hand. And it hurts me when that’s not always done at this time of year. So, I understand that. But again, I think we’ve got a lot of talented players and we’ve rewarded a lot. So it does become more challenging in time when you’ve rewarded so many players. That’s also why this is a very good team that has such high expectations.”
Lynch acknowledged that the 49ers began negotiations earlier than usual and that Aiyuk is a part of the team’s long-term plans. When asked about the booming receiver market affecting their talks, Lynch declined to blame any signings while maintaining privacy between the two sides during the time.
The negotiations will continue during training camp and the challenge will be to find the sweet spot money-wise for the 49ers and Aiyuk.