Brandon Aiyuk stood at the lectern at the San Francisco 49ers facility a happy man after agreeing to his lucrative contract extension to remain in the Bay Area.
And now that everything is done, with ink put to paper to allow him a clear mind financially heading into the 2024 NFL season, he admitted to reporters that he made things pretty hard toward the end of negotiating.
"I’m not going to lie, I made it a little more difficult than I needed to at the end," Aiyuk said smiling on Tuesday, via NBC Sports Bay Area, less than one week away from the 49ers’ start against the New York Jets on "Monday Night Football."
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"It was like — I’m not going to say the entire time, but for about the past month I think we were pretty good."
Any time a player requests to be traded, it’s usually not "pretty good" between him and the front office. But GM John Lynch finally got things done with the Aiyuk camp on a four-year, $120 million deal with $45 million guaranteed.
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Things weren’t looking good, though, when Lynch basically told Aiyuk, along with head coach Kyle Shanahan, that he has to practice with the preseason schedule coming to an end last week. Aiyuk had been holding in, not holding out, but he reportedly wasn’t a fan of this "you got to play" statement from Lynch.
Though it appeared bleak with the regular season on the horizon, the 49ers and Aiyuk are now one again.
When asked if he was paying attention to other receivers around the league getting paid, Aiyuk said that the disagreements on numbers with the 49ers were because of his personal view of worth.
"Just trying to make sure that we got to the right spot," Aiyuk explained. "Just trying to make sure that everything was covered and make sure that we were good on both sides.
"Ultimately, I wanted to be in this position that I’m in right now, standing here, talking to you all, but every day was different. In negotiations, every day is different. [I was] just following my heart and myself in each day and that led to today."
He wanted to stay a 49er, and that’s exactly what happened. Lynch also figured out Trent Williams’ contract to make sure the All-Pro left tackle remained protecting quarterback Brock Purdy’s blindside.
So, the reigning NFC champions head into the 2024 season with their stars paid and everything intact roster-wise, as they hunt for redemption in what has become an elusive Vince Lombardi Trophy for this NFC West powerhouse.
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