Exit, stage left.
That was the extent of Brandon Aiyuk’s involvement Wednesday in the first 49ers practice of training camp.
The surprise, although apparently not to the 49ers, is that left tackle Trent Williams was a no-show in what coach Kyle Shanahan termed “contract related.”
Aiyuk was not with his teammates as warmups and drills began. About 10 minutes into the session, Aiyuk, wearing a white T-shirt, basketball shorts and no 49ers gear, walked in front of reporters and took a left hand turn from the practice field toward Levi’s Stadium.
Aiyuk reported to camp Tuesday along with his teammates as he continues negotiations with the team on an extension. He is due $14.124 million this season under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, but he is seeking a bigger payday on a longer deal.
Williams has a cap number of more than $34 million in 2025 and $37 million in 2026 due to earlier bonus payments but his salaries are $10.76 million and $4.736 million. At age 36, Williams is seeking more money in what will likely be his final contract.
The 49ers, in a similar fashion, adjusted Christian McCaffrey’s contract with $19 million per year over the next two seasons because of his performance.
“It’s something I knew could be a possibility,” Shanahan said. “I was hoping he’d be here. I feel confident it will all work out. It’s just one day of practice.”
Asked if Williams’ absence was concerning, linebacker Fred Warner said, “Of course. He’s one of our best players. One of our leaders. But we get the business side of it. We’ll get it figured out.”
The 49ers have reached extension agreements with star players in July or later in recent years, from George Kittle in 2020 to Fred Warner in 2021, Deebo Samuel the following summer and Nick Bosa last year. Samuel executed a “hold-in” before his deal, going to the 49ers’ facility but not participating in practices.
Aiyuk has made clear throughout the offseason that he expects a significant raise after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He reportedly requested a trade from the 49ers last week after seeing other young receivers like Justin Jefferson of Minnesota, A.J. Brown of Philadelphia, Amon-Ra St. Brown of Detroit and Jaylen Waddle of Miami get significant extensions between $28 million and $35 million per season.
The 49ers, meanwhile, have been steadfast that they plan to keep Aiyuk, Brock Purdy’s No. 1 target. General manager John Lynch said Tuesday that he expects Aiyuk to play for the 49ers this season.
“We’re going to continue to work toward finding resolutions,” Lynch said. “Not optimistic, not pessimistic, just trying to find the right endpoint for each of us.”
By appearing in Santa Clara, Aiyuk took a different route than 2024 draft classmate CeeDee Lamb of Dallas. Lamb, coming off a career year of 135 receptions, 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, will hold out rather than begin collecting his fifth-year option salary of $17.99 million.
Lamb, 24, was the second of five receivers selected in the first round of the 2020 draft at No. 17 overall. That was five selections after the Raiders’ Henry Ruggs, the No. 12 choice who is currently imprisoned on a DUI charge that took the life of a woman and her dog in Las Vegas.
Jalen Reagor of TCU went No. 21 to Philadelphia, was traded to Minnesota and attempting to hold on to a roster spot in New England.
Justin Jefferson, taken at No. 22 by Minnesota, provided Lamb’s top-of-the-market target by signing an four-year, $140 million extension with an average of $35 million per season. Jefferson was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 and had 68 receptions for 1,084 yards in 10 games.
One potential compromise in the Aiyuk impasse would be to give him a substantial raise in 2024 from the $14.14 fifth-year option figure and then agree to not give him the franchise tag in 2025. That would leave Aiyuk free to sign with the highest bidder. In that scenario, the 49ers could be a potential suitor should they part with Deebo Samuel.
Even with an escalating salary cap, keeping two wide receivers making top dollar will be difficult assuming Brock Purdy agrees on a contract extension which could surpass $50 million per year in average salary.
