The biggest question surrounding the San Francisco 49ers heading toward training camp is the status of Brandon Aiyuk.
The star receiver skipped the entire offseason program, including mandatory minicamp, in search of a new deal. Aiyuk is set to play on the fifth-year option, worth $14.1 million, but is seeking a new contract closer to the one Amon-Ra St. Brown inked with Detroit earlier this offseason.
The sides haven't been able to bridge the gap in negotiations, but the Niners have made it clear they plan to have Aiyuk on the roster in 2024.
Aiyuk has been willing to rock the boat at times this offseason, causing a stir among fans with his social media posts -- particularly involving his former college quarterback and current Washington Commander Jayden Daniels. However, San Francisco teammate George Kittle told that he's not concerned about the offseason back-and-forth and is confident Aiyuk will be on the field when games matter.
"I think, if you look at my career, being a 49er, and the way most of the contracts have gone -- I didn't get signed until the second week of training camp, Deebo (Samuel) was pretty late," Kittle said. "(Nick) Bosa was the first week of the season. That's just how business is done out there. I'm not in the meetings. I have no idea. I actually go out of my way to not talk to anybody going through contract negotiations, so when people ask me questions, I'm like: I have absolutely no idea.
"But I'm not concerned about it. Aiyuk's a phenomenal football player who's a big part of our offense, and he's one of the most complete receivers that I've ever played with. So I'm gonna assume that Aiyuk's gonna be on our team by the time the season starts."
The Niners typically get their big deals done during or after training camp, so Aiyuk's timeline isn't unusual for the organization. The situation is magnified by some of Aiyuk's comments and the fact that the receiver market exploded this offseason.
As Kittle noted, Aiyuk is one of the NFL's top receivers and deserves to be paid as such. The question is how the minutia of the deal breaks down and how high the Niners are willing to go to satisfy the wideout's desires, given all the other contracts they have to budget around.
