As the 49ers and receiver Brandon Aiyuk continue to be at contractual impasse, Aiyuk has made a bold claim.
Via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, Aiyuk posted a TikTok video of a FaceTime chat with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. During the video, Aiyuk said of the 49ers, “They don’t want me back.”
Daniels and Aiyuk were teammates at Arizona State. Aiyuk left for the NFL in 2020, and Daniels transferred to LSU in 2022.
Aiyuk is under contract at $14.1 million in 2024, his fifth-year option. Aiyuk reportedly wants $30 million or more per year.
So, in saying “they don’t want me back,” Aiyuk might be saying they don’t want him after this season. Or maybe he’s saying they don’t want him because they won’t offer what he wants.
Presumably, the 49ers would gladly pay him $14.1 million for another year. The better move could be to trade him to someone who will pay him what he wants.
The better time to trade him would have been before the 2024 draft, when the 49ers could have gotten compensation in the current year. At this point, it’ll be either future draft picks or current players in return. If he’s traded.
