The latest update on San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, after he bumped into TMZ at the airport.
Anything San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk does these days is newsworthy. Today’s topic is reassurance. Aiyuk ran into TMZ at LAX Airport:
The star wideout — who’s entering the final season of his rookie deal — made it clear to TMZ Sports out at LAX on Friday that he’s ready to suit up yet again for Kyle Shanahan … even though he and the team have not yet agreed on a new extension.
“For sure,” Aiyuk told us at the airport. “For sure!”
Despite the 49ers’ consistent business model and a timeline for handing out extensions, some fans fear that Aiyuk will be traded or fail to reach a long-term contract.
The 49ers are built to win today. Trading their No. 1 wide receiver before the season begins for a draft pick makes little sense for a team favored to win the Super Bowl.
That’s not to say there aren’t hiccups in negotiations or hard feelings. Aiyuk said himself, “I’m taking it personally.” He understands his value. Here’s what Aiyuk said on The Pivot podcast, hosted by Ryan Clark:
“I have a vision for what I see myself as, and [the 49ers] don’t see me as that. Or you do, but you don’t — you can’t financially do it. Whatever, whatever, whatever. I’m not sure. I just feel like it’s no hard feelings, though. If you don’t want to do it or you can’t do it, I’m sorry. There’s somebody that will.”
But Aiyuk has met with the Niners since then and has expressed himself, which led to his “for sure” answer to TMZ.
Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, and everybody in the organization speak glowingly about Aiyuk. It’s the perfect marriage between player and team. Aiyuk is the epitome of the 49ers’ identity. Last year, he proved that he’s the type of player you build around, which is why anything other than his signing a long-term extension would be a surprise.
Aiyuk going out of his way to set a meeting with the 49ers is a sign that he wants to be in the Bay Area. His actions are doing the talking.