Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers have yet to work out a contract extension, and it doesn't appear the two sides are close to coming to an agreement.
San Francisco and the 26-year-old All-Pro remain in a "little bit of a standoff" NFL Media's Mike Garafolo reported on Friday.
"Where are we? Well, we're not close," Garafolo said Friday on NFL Total Access. "They have made a recent run at it from my understanding. It's not like they haven't had any discussions, they have had preliminary discussions. You saw John Lynch say that Brandon Aiyuk could play on the fifth-year option, play out his deal. They're comfortable with that. Then you got Aiyuk doing the little finger thing saying, 'I could walk.'
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"Basically it's a little bit of a standoff right now. Now look, this is not where the Deebo Samuel thing was, and as bad as that got with Samuel basically requesting a trade, they were still able to salvage that. So let's not panic here, let's not freakout, and maybe if it gets to the point where some offseason workouts and OTA's and Brandon Aiyuk does the little finger emoji saying, 'Yeah, I'm going to be walking the other way instead of going to those voluntary workouts.'"
Despite a gap in negotiations, Garafolo reiterated Aiyuk's desire to remain with the 49ers and the star wideout's understanding that San Francisco maintains a strong track record of working out deals with their foundational players
"But he does love the 49ers from my understanding, and he knows this is a team that is taking care of guys when it's their turn," Garafolo explained. "There's no reason he feels like he shouldn't be next. He believes he's one of the top wide receivers in the league, so he expects to be paid in that realm. The 49ers are not quite there at this point, so I think we've got some time before this one gets settled either way. But I know that the 49ers would like to eventually get Brandon Aiyuk under an extended contract, and I know that he would love to be there under the right price. So let's see if they can both get to the point where they agree on something."
Aiyuk provided an update on his perspective of the ongoing negotiations during a recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco's "Nightcap" podcast, with his comments falling in line with Garafolo's report on Friday.
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"I'm just trying to get what I deserve," Aiyuk told Sharpe and Ochocinco. "I feel like this season playing football I figured out who I was as a person, as a player. What I bring to the table, what I bring to the locker room, what I bring to the organization. Just the value I hold when I walk in that building. People [are] going to follow me because I've done it the right way since I've been in that building. From the first day I walked in there until I was in there earlier this morning, I've done it the right way."
"If they don't see the worth in that, that's all it is. It ain't nothing else besides that. I can't get into it. We got professionals working on both sides. Hopefully, we can come to a professional agreement and continue to play professional football."
The 26-year-old wideout is coming off a strong season where he recorded 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, earning Second-Team All-Pro honors while serving as an invaluable cog in the 49ers' explosive offense.
Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract after being selected No. 25 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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