Kyle Shanahan confirmed the contract situation between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers almost turned out differently.
Speaking to reporters after San Francisco’s dominant 32-19 win over the New York Jets on Monday, Shanahan was asked about the months-long contract talks between the organization and Aiyuk.
“It was how I kind of reported it to you guys throughout the whole time,” Shanahan said. “You guys would ask me stuff about it, and I’d say, ‘Anything could happen.’ There were reports that we almost traded him to some teams, and we didn’t. Some were true, some weren’t but all options were open.
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“It was a tough thing to get to the final spot of it on both sides. When it was all said and done, I’m glad that we had the patience and I’m glad it worked out the way that it did because I love having BA [Brandon Aiyuk] here.”
"When it was all said and done, I'm glad that we had the patience."
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) September 10, 2024
Kyle Shanahan reflects on working through Brandon Aiyuk's contract holdout pic.twitter.com/bmSVHJLHcP
The remarks from Shanahan confirmed the rumors that San Francisco had explored serious trades with other teams while trying to work out a contract extension with Aiyuk.
The receiver wanted a big pay bump, and both sides went back and forth over a suitable contract over the entire offseason and into training camp, where Aiyuk showed up but did not participate in team activities.
San Francisco 49ers
Finally, both sides agreed to terms on a 4-year contract worth a reported $120 million that will keep the 26-year-old in the Bay Area for the foreseeable future.
This paved the way for Aiyuk to suit up for San Francisco in Week 1, a blowout victory at home against New York. While the receiver showed some signs of rust, he managed to contribute, hauling in two receptions for 28 yards.
Aiyuk was one of quarterback Brock Purdy’s favorite targets last season and he will continue to be as he works his way back into the swing of things over the next few weeks.