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Brandon Aiyuk Fires Back at the 49ers: "Two Options. Pick One."

They could offer him $28 million per season right now. What are they waiting for?

Grant Cohn

Jan 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) warms up before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) warms up before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
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Just when you think the Brandon Aiyuk saga might end, it keeps going.

Yesterday, The NFL Network reported that the 49ers and Aiyuk's agent have resumed contract negotiations and that there's optimism that an extension will get done that keeps Aiyuk on the 49ers long term.

A few hours after this was reported, Aiyuk responded on Instagram, writing: "Niners be in the media everyday lol, it’s two options out there pick one and stop dropping reports simple."

I guess Aiyuk isn't as optimistic.

It seems clear the initial report came from the 49ers. And it's great that they're feeling optimistic. But it's no mystery what it will take to get Aiyuk to agree to an extension. He wants $28 million per season and they haven't offered more than $26 million per season. If they want him, they have to offer him the same deal that the Steelers have offered Aiyuk.

There's nothing left to negotiate, no meeting in the middle. Either give him $28 million per season or send him to the Steelers so they can give him $28 million per season. Keeping him and forcing him to play on the fifth-year option is not an option because if Aiyuk is miserable, he can make the 49ers miserable, too. And they don't need a giant distraction during their quest to finally win a Super Bowl under head coach Kyle Shanahan.

If the 49ers are optimistic a deal will get done, that could mean they're confident Aiyuk will compromise, which he won't do.

They could offer him $28 million per season right now. What are they waiting for?

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Grant Cohn

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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