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The San Francisco 49ers‘ offseason started fast and furious following their Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, as trade speculation centered around wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk heated up after his girlfriend posted some pointed messages on social media.
Aiyuk is still under contract for one more season, but he clearly wants to get paid now. Trade rumors are swirling, as they tend to do this time of year. According to 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Steelers have looked into trading for Aiyuk. The All-Pro wideout appeared to lean into the noise a bit, sending a message on social media to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Niners general manager John Lynch shut down these rumors, saying there have been no trade discussions and they do not intend to trade the wide receiver, per ESPN.
“I promise you nothing’s going on there,” Lynch said.
Lynch said they have been “actively” talking to Aiyuk about a contract extension. Lynch said “we’ll see” if something gets done, considering it takes two sides, but notes the 49ers have a good history of getting deals done with the players they want.
“We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we’re going to work towards making that a reality,” Lynch said.
The GM added that at Michigan’s Pro Day, Aiyuk and Tomlin joked about the trade rumors.
Shortly after Lynch’s comments, Aiyuk posted a series of emoji’s on his Instagram story, seemingly writing, “Money talks, bullsh–t walks.”
Aiyuk is coming off of a career year in which he caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. His 17.9 yards per reception ranked second in the NFL, and he recorded seven 100-yard outings, which were the most for a 49er in a single season since Jerry Rice in 1995.
The 49ers selected Aiyuk with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Arizona State, and Lynch made it clear at the NFL Combine earlier this offseason that he wants to keep Aiyuk in the fold.
“Brandon’s one that we think incredibly highly of, one of my favorite guys around our building,” Lynch said, via the 49ers’ official website. “The way he approaches the game, he’s a competitor. He’s a warrior. He plays with such a physicality, also with a grace, the way some of the positions his body can get into.
“Then, he’s got a flare for making plays when it matters most, and he’s served us very well as a franchise. I think we’ve got a nice track record of extending the players that are important to us and Brandon’s a guy we want to keep around for a long time.”
Per Spotrac’s market value tool, Aiyuk is in line to sign a four-year, $96,091,232 contract that carries an AAV of $24 million per year. That deal would tie him in being the No. 5 highest-paid wideout in the NFL.
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