The 49ers Gave Brandon Aiyuk an Ultimatum Amid Contract Dispute

Brandon Aiyuk has had a wild offseason, but the wildest thing of all was when he signed the original deal he was offered after he didn't want it for a month. What's the explanation. Why would he do that?

November 13, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrate a first down against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

After a long offseason of negotiations, Brandon Aiyuk extended his contract with the 49ers signing a 4-year, $120 million extension. Fans rejoiced after learning their premier wide reciever wasn't going anywhere, but questions began to arise amidst the actually amount in the deal. Aiyuk had spent a majority of the offseason making his position clear, he deserved more than $30 million a year and was willing to do whatever it took to get it. Whether he was on TikTok posting clips of him watching Commanders training camp or outright posting videos stating the 49ers "didn't want him," it seemed like he would be leaving in a trade if the sides couldn't agree. But somehow he signed the original offer given on August 12th. Something's fishy here...

This morning Jay Glazer spoke on a rumor about the contract negotiations between Aiyuk and the Niners.

This story is WILD. 🤯

According to @JayGlazer, Brandon Aiyuk called off a trade to the Steelers in the eleventh hour to stay with the 49ers!

Kyle Shanahan told Aiyuk that he had to make a decision by the end of practice on the day the deal got done. Aiyuk chose to stay in San… pic.twitter.com/CAXBHXLOEO

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 8, 2024

According to Glazer, the day Aiyuk agreed to this new deal the Niners had a trade in place with the Steelers. Aiyuk wanted to see Kyle Shannahan and have a meeting, seemingly Shanahan was aware of the trade talks happening and tried to communicate with the front office to no avail. So what did he do? He ran upstairs and told them to pause the trade talks. Then Shanahan delivered that ultimatum.

He told him that he had to decide by the end of practice, take the deal on the table or get traded to Pittsburgh. This rumor puts all the puzzle pieces together. Why did Aiyuk sign the original deal? Because he was going to leave a Super Bowl team to join a low-tier playoff team. Who wants to do that? Maybe he gets a little more money, but then he doesn't have the chance to be a true winner.

So whose image is more damaged? Honestly, neither. This feels like one of those moments of two people beating each other up but shaking hands in respect after. The only other question fans have is how this will affect Aiyuk Week 1? Will he have fresh legs and look amazing or will he need a few weeks to get in the groove? We'll have to wait and see tomorrow.