Mar 25, 2024, 9:09 p.m. ET
General manager John Lynch revealed that the San Francisco management is already negotiating an extension with the wide receiver’s representatives.
ORLANDO — Standing on the sideline at the pro day Michigan Last week, the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, John Lynchand the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlinthey shared a laugh when Tomlin brought the topic of the wide receiver of the Niners, Brandon Aiyuk.
Speculation regarding the future of Aiyuk with the team has persisted for more than a year, peaking this offseason as the wide receiver heads into the final year of his rookie contract. That includes trade rumors all over the league map. NFLincluding the Steelers of Tomlin.
Brandon Aiyuk is currently scheduled to count $14.124 million against the 2024 salary cap. Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Speaking to a small group of reporters Monday afternoon during the company’s annual owners meetings NFL, Lynch offered his most definitive statement, not only that Aiyuk is not available in exchange, but also that the team has already been discussing with Aiyuk and his representatives the parameters of an extension that will keep him with the club long term.
“[Tomlin] he’s like, ‘Bro, what’s going on?'” he shared Lynch, laughing. “I promise nothing is happening there. We are actively chatting with Brandon, trying to figure something out. We have a good track record working with kids that we want to accomplish something with, and it takes two parts. So can we do it? We will see. There are a number of different directions we could go, but we very much appreciate Brandon and who he is as a player, and we want him to be part of the Niners. “We are going to work to make that a reality.”
Aiyukmeanwhile, posted an Instagram Story on Monday afternoon, with a series of emojis that translate to, “money talks, s– it goes away.”
The speculation regarding a swap around Aiyuk have never come from 49ers. At last year’s annual meetings in Arizona, Lynch confirmed that the club had been contacted by other franchises to gauge their interest in negotiating Aiyukonly for Lynch y el head coach Kyle Shanahan They will reject those advances.
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But, that has not stopped the conversation, largely due to a staff of the Niners loaded at the top that includes highly paid stars such as left tackle Trent WilliamsOn the defensive Nick Bosawide receiver Deebo Samueltight end George Kittle y linebacker Fred Warner.
The external presumption has been that the 49ers They were going to be unable to offer a contract extension to Aiyuk –who is coming off a 75-catch, 1,342-yard, seven-touchdown season that landed him on the second team All-Pro— thanks to a tight salary cap situation created by those other contracts.
Aiyuk He is currently scheduled to count for $14.124 million against the 2024 salary cap, in case he plays under the fifth-year option that the club made valid on the No. 25 overall recruit of the Draft 2020 from NFL the last summer. With a contract extension, Niners They could actually reduce that impact and keep the number relatively low by 2025, so that when higher salaries arrive, some of the other onerous contracts will have been cleaned up from the books.
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“There’s nothing better than recruiting a guy, developing him, watching him flourish, and then rewarding him,” he said. Lynch. “It’s really what we love to do.”
Although Lynch is optimistic that an agreement can be reached with Aiyuk, also made it clear that it will not be easy. The Niners They have a history of achieving lucrative contract extensions with their own stars such as Kittle, Warner, Samuel y Bosa, but those discussions have always continued into training camp, and sometimes beyond. Just last year, the enormous agreement of Bosa was not completed until days before the start of the regular campaign against the Steelers.
A similar scenario is possible for Aiyukto whom Niners They project as part of their core of stars around which they must be built.
“We are talking to their representatives, and trying to talk about some parameters of certain things,” he said. Lynch. “We’re having discussions. That’s a good thing.”
On Monday, Lynch also explained the accounting error that cost the Niners a 2025 fifth-round pick, and four spots late in the fourth round this year.
According Lynchduring the 2020 season, the Niners They overpaid a player $75,000. Although that payment did not put them above the salary cap, it was not discovered until the fall of 2022. After trying to recover the money, the 49ers They eventually reported the error to the league. Lynch indicated that the delay in reporting was the reason why the NFL He decided to penalize the team in that way, although he did not agree with the punishment.
“I have a difference of opinion about the severity of the disciplinary measure,” he shared Lynch. “We take responsibility for what happened… We accepted our part, we went through a whole mitigation process to remedy some of the things that happened, but the league decided to impose on that. So, you take your medicine, and you move on.”
As for a couple of Niners injured, Lynch confirmed that Kittle and the corner Charvarius Ward They underwent surgeries on core muscles that will keep them out of the entire offseason program, but both should return in time for training camp.
“I had that surgery when I was playing, and there’s a pretty high rate of healing, and I feel a lot better after having it,” he described. Lynch. “It hurts constantly to have that pull, so those two guys, they’re both going to fix it.”
2024-03-26 02:09:00
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