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Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterSep 3, 2024, 06:55 PM ET
- Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN’s coverage of the Niners’ 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam’s subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team’s relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After one of the most turbulent — and public — contract negotiations in recent memory, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk doesn’t believe that any hard feelings between him and the team will linger.
When asked Tuesday if he and the Niners can move past the back-and-forth that led to the four-year, $120 million contract extension he signed Friday, Aiyuk acknowledged the role he played in extending the negotiations.
“I’m not going to lie: I made it a little bit more difficult than it needed to at the end,” Aiyuk said in his first comments since signing his new deal. “I mean, it was like that for me, I’m not going to say the whole entire time, but for about the past month, I think we were pretty good.”
When the Niners returned to the field for Tuesday’s “bonus” practice in preparation for Monday night’s opener against the visiting New York Jets, Aiyuk was in his No. 11 jersey and working in his usual spot with the other wideouts. It was Aiyuk’s first practice with the team since the Friday before Super Bowl LVIII, a span of 207 days. Those days were largely marked by the strained negotiations between the team and Aiyuk that saw him take often to social media to air his grievances about not only how they were going but how long they were taking.
At various points, Aiyuk attempted to apply pressure to the Niners to get a deal done.
In March, Aiyuk used his social media platform for emojis that translated to “money talks, bulls— walks” after general manager John Lynch insisted at the league meetings that the team wanted to pay Aiyuk. The receiver stayed away from the team’s offseason program and didn’t show up for the full-squad minicamp in early June, incurring $101,000 in fines.
Before San Francisco opened training camp in July, Aiyuk officially requested a trade then promptly reported to camp on time with the rest of his teammates and said he was dealing with back and neck soreness that would keep him out of practice and prevent the Niners from fining him for not participating.
When asked about his willingness to exert leverage during the negotiations, Aiyuk didn’t shy away from it.
“A squeaky wheel has to be silent sometime and know when to squeak,” Aiyuk said. “[I was] just [finding] that whole balance.”
During his hold-in, Aiyuk attended meetings and team activities but did not practice. On Tuesday, Aiyuk said it was strange to be there for everything else then watch his teammates suit up and go practice without joining them.
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“That was probably the hardest part about the whole thing just because at that point you got the rest of the team involved,” Aiyuk said. “I’m here every single day; they’re suiting up getting ready to go out to practice, and I’m not.
“It was a little awkward, but I think it worked out how it needed to.”
For most of the hold-in, Aiyuk and the Niners were uncertain how it would all play out. Despite initial reticence, the Niners eventually began fielding trade offers for the star wideout and gave Aiyuk permission to negotiate contracts with interested teams.
Parameters of proposed trades with the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns quickly were put in place, but Aiyuk rejected those landing spots. Another deal was close with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but again, neither the Niners nor Aiyuk really wanted to separate.
Throughout it all, Aiyuk said he had to “get my mind right” to a trade being a possibility. And although Aiyuk indicated it’s “easy” to say now, he does agree with the notion that he always wanted to remain with the team he grew up rooting for in his hometown of Rocklin, California, about a three-hour drive northeast from the team facility.
“I think I just had a feel for what I wanted,” Aiyuk said. “Not just in terms of money but in all those things [such as long-term team success and quarterback play], and ultimately, I wanted to be here. I ended up being here, so I’m happy. I’m good. I’m ready to go.”
With Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams back in the fold after the latter signed his own reworked contract Tuesday, the Niners return about 87% of their offensive snaps from a unit that was near the top of the league in many major categories last season.
The boost Aiyuk and Williams provided was unmistakable in the locker room Tuesday afternoon.
“A bunch of energy in the building,” wideout Jauan Jennings said. “To have our team back just means everything, and now we are locked and loaded ready to go for Week 1.”
For his part, Aiyuk said multiple times Tuesday that he feels “light” with the weight of the contract negotiations no longer hanging over his head. In terms of conditioning, Aiyuk said he will be ready to go against the Jets on Monday night after he gets three more practices this week, calling himself “super excited,” “fresh” and “renewed.”
Entering this season, Aiyuk is aiming to top his breakout 2023 campaign, during which he finished with 1,342 receiving yards and was second in the NFL in yards per reception (17.9) and first in yards per target (12.9) on his way to earning second-team All-Pro honors.
Aiyuk also acknowledged there is additional pressure to exceed that production now that he is one of the highest-paid wideouts in the league.
“But that’s the reason why I’m going to get paid in a such manner,” Aiyuk said. “Because that’s the type of player I believe I am, and that’s the player I want to continue to be and that’s the player that I strive to be. I think it’s more so putting that pressure on myself.”
