After the past year’s saga betweenBrandon Aiyuk and the 49ers, it would be reasonable for any team seeking to trade for the troubled receiver and his $120 million contract to want to touch base with him.
One problem: Nobody can get in touch with him.
The latest turn in the drama that saw Aiyuk disappear from the team facilities midway through last season came Mondayvia ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Despite making it clear that Aiyuk wouldn’t play again for the Niners, the team has refused to release him, preferring to attempt to recoup some value in a trade.
General manager John Lynch wentso far as to pantomime picking up a phone during his post-draft press conference to publicly plea to the other 31 teams: “We’re available. Give us a call.”
Now we know at least one reason why San Francisco has had so much trouble finding a trading partner. The Niners’ front office may be ready to talk, but Aiyuk apparently isn’t, according to Schefter.
“We’re not just going to give him away, unless we feel like we can get something back for him,” the NFL insider told Pat McAfee of the thinking among 49ers executives. “The issue is that teams don’t want to trade for that contract, and they don’t want to trade for that contract when they can’t even discuss it with Brandon Aiyuk.”
Aiyuk’s behavior led the 49ers to void the remaining guaranteed money on his contract, but there are still three years and $85 million left on the deal he signed before the 2024 season.
“They’ve advertised, including this weekend, at every turn that they would trade him for whatever they could get back for him,” Schefter said, adding that the Niners and others have attempted to make contact with Aiyuk. “They’ve had a hard him getting ahold of him.”
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Aiyuk, Schefter said, would prefer to be released so that he can sign with the Commanders, where college teammate Jayden Daniels is the quarterback. That could explain his lack of desire to help facilitate a trade elsewhere. However, going MIA isn’t exactly out of character for the former No. 1 pick from Arizona State.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
