Brandon Aiyuk was seen Wednesday at the 49ers’ facility, but he wasn’t wearing a practice jersey as the team held its first workout of 2024 training camp.
Instead, Aiyuk wore a white T-shirt and basketball shorts on the practice field when he walked past media members a few minutes after drills started, then took a turn toward Levi’s Stadium and left the field.
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.
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.”
