49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s future has been a frequent talking point around the team this offseason, including when General Manager John Lynch spoke to reporters earlier this week.
Lynch said “nothing’s going on there” in reference to trade rumors linking Aiyuk to the Steelers and that the two sides are “actively talking” about an extension as Aiyuk moves into the final year of his contract. Aiyuk had his own chance to weigh in on where things stand during an appearance on The Nightcap podcast with former NFL players Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco.
Aiyuk didn’t get specific about where things stand in the talks, said he appreciated Ochocinco saying that he deserves to make $30-32 million a year before saying that he believes he’s shown his value and hopes that the 49ers view things the same way.
“I’m trying to get what I deserve,” Aiyuk said. “I feel like this season, this season playing football, I figured out who I was as a person and a player — what I bring to the table, what I bring to the locker room, what I bring to the organization. The value I hold when I walk in that building. People gonna follow me because I’ve done it the right way since I’ve been in that building. From the first day I walked in there to when I was in there earlier this morning. If they don’t see the worth in that, that’s all it is. It ain’t nothing else besides that. I can’t get into it. We got professionals working on both sides, so hopefully we can come to a professional agreement to continue playing professional football.”
Aiyuk has been productive since the 49ers took him 25th overall in 2020 and stepped things up the last two seasons with 153 catches for 2,357 yards and 15 touchdowns. That’s made him a very valuable piece of the offense, but there are several of those on the roster and the team has to plan ahead for quarterback Brock Purdy’s next deal so it remains to be seen if everything can fall into place.
