SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After an offseason of contract negotiations which have but to yield a profitable extension, San Francisco 49ers extensive receiver Brandon Aiyuk has formally requested a commerce, in accordance with league sources.
Sources informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday that different groups which have reached out to the 49ers have been informed the workforce has no intention of buying and selling him.
Aiyuk’s request comes per week earlier than veterans are slated to report back to Niners coaching camp and about three weeks after Aiyuk and the Niners met in Santa Clara to debate the state of affairs. NFL Community first reported the commerce request.
With one 12 months remaining on his rookie contract, Aiyuk has been in search of a big-money extension in keeping with these of different wideouts who’ve earned offers this offseason, such because the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown, Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, Eagles’ DeVonta Smith and Miami Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle.
Aiyuk, 26, is about to make $14.124 million in 2024, the fifth and last 12 months of his rookie contract.
At numerous factors this offseason, Aiyuk has tried to use strain to the Niners to get a deal achieved ahead of their standard late-summer timeline. He has used social media to voice his displeasure and even posted a video to TikTok of himself telling former Arizona State teammate and present Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on FaceTime that the Niners “don’t desire me again.”
However Aiyuk had stopped in need of requesting a commerce till Tuesday. A league supply informed ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Aiyuk “need[s] to be traded or paid. San Fran does not wish to pay him [relative to market value] or commerce him.”
Regardless of the request, San Francisco’s place on Aiyuk hasn’t modified. The Niners have maintained all alongside that they wish to pay Aiyuk and hold him round for the long run. That has been made tougher by the rising value of receivers primarily based on different offers which were signed this offseason.
Aiyuk’s commerce request additionally does not assure he will likely be dealt. In truth, the Niners have latest precedent declining to grant a commerce request to a receiver wanting a big-money deal and finally signing him.
Niners wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. requested a commerce within the 2022 offseason, and though the Niners listened to presents at that 12 months’s NFL draft, they held on to Samuel and signed him to a three-year deal price as much as $73.5 million on July 31, 2022. Former kicker Robbie Gould additionally requested a commerce from the Niners in April 2019 however finally signed a four-year extension on July 15, 2019.
Aiyuk is coming off a breakout season during which he posted 75 catches for 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns on his approach to a second-team All-Professional nod.
If Aiyuk does not signal a brand new deal or get traded earlier than the beginning of coaching camp, he’s anticipated to keep away from taking part till his contract state of affairs is resolved. He didn’t take part within the workforce’s obligatory minicamp, incurring fines in extra of $101,000 for lacking it.
Beneath coach Kyle Shanahan and normal supervisor John Lynch, the Niners have been in a position to signal most of their stars to extensions earlier than they hit free company, though these gamers — Samuel, tight finish George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner and finish Nick Bosa — have needed to wait till late July and past for such offers to get achieved.
In different 49ers receiver information Tuesday, rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall was positioned on the energetic/non-football damage checklist as Niners rookies reported for coaching camp. Pearsall, the No. 31 general choose in April’s NFL draft, practiced with a blue no-contact jersey within the spring. On the time, Shanahan stated Pearsall was coping with “a bit soreness” however didn’t disclose specifics of the damage.