49ers want to sign Aiyuk to long-term contract, Schefter believes

49ers want to sign Aiyuk to long-term contract, Schefter believes originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

As the contract standoff between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers continues, one NFL insider believes that the two sides eventually will agree to a long-term deal.

Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained why he believes that San Francisco will not acquiesce to Aiyuk’s request for a trade.

“If you’re the 49ers, why would you trade Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel, either one, for draft pick compensation in 2025 when you’re trying to win a Super Bowl now. It makes no sense,” Schefter said.

“Not only that, but you can also trade Deebo after the year if you want and you’d have the services this year. Aiyuk, you could franchise tag him after this year if you wanted, and they still want to work out a long-term deal.

“Now again, I think that my guess would be that Aiyuk, I’m guessing here doesn’t show up to training camp, not there. And tries to force the issue here and then we see if the two sides can work out a deal or whether he wants to continue to be difficult with them.”

San Francisco and the 26-year-old wideout have been at odds this offseason on a contract extension, with Aiyuk reportedly requesting a trade from the franchise that drafted him. The All-Pro receiver has made his salary expectations clear in recent months, and the huge price tag makes it challenging for the 49ers to re-sign him and keep the remainder of their offense intact.

Still, Schefter believes that the two sides will come to terms on a deal that satisfies Aiyuk.

“I think they want to find a way,” Schefter told McAfee. “They want to find a way to keep all these guys for this season and then we’ll see what happens after the year, but obviously, it’s not going to be simple and they know there are issues and obstacles in front of them that they’re going to have to try to figure out a way to get done here. I don’t know how it’s going to work out.”

For now, Aiyuk is under contract for one more season on his rookie deal, and with quarterback Brock Purdy still on his bargain contract, the 49ers are loading up for one more run at that elusive Vince Lombardi Trophy after so many seasons of coming up just short.

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