Insider believes 49ers, Brandon Aiyuk have limited window

The San Francisco 49ers begin training camp in less than two weeks and the team is still no closer to signing star receiver Brandon Aiyuk to a new contract.

The 49ers reportedly offered Aiyuk a deal worth $26 million per year, but they have shown no indication of meeting Aiyuk’s asking price, which is believed to be in the $30M-per-year range. 

During a recent episode of NFL Network’s “The Insiders,” Ian Rapoport hinted the two sides could be running out of time to strike an agreement. 

“What is facts is that Brandon Aiyuk, who for sure deserves a contract extension, does not have one yet,” Rapoport said. “And really, it makes you wonder as well…is he going to step on the field without a new deal? This market has defined itself very well and the fact that he doesn’t have a deal done, the clock is ticking on him.”

Aiyuk hasn’t made the process easy on the 49ers.

He’s garnering headlines this offseason for several reasons, all of which have involved him seemingly hinting that he wants out of San Francisco.

The 26-year-old wideout first turned heads in mid-June when he told former teammate and current Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels that the 49ers didn’t want him anymore.

A few days later, Aiyuk commented on an Instagram post throwing shade at the 49ers for reportedly exploring trade offers for him and he followed that up a few days ago by posting a photo of Commanders practice film on his TikTok page, suggesting he wants to be traded to Washington to reunite with Daniels.

As things stand right now, Aiyuk is under contract in San Francisco for 2024 at $14.124M under his fifth-year option. He’s scheduled to be a free agent in 2025 but the 49ers could franchise tag him and keep him for an additional season.