What was the Purpose of Brandon Aiyuk Meeting With the 49ers?

NFL insider Mike Garafolo recently reported that the 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk are "no closer to a deal" after their recent meeting, so what was the point of having one?

Feb 5, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) talks to the media during Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers held a meeting on June 24 in regards to his contract extension.

It was reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network that the meeting was 'good' between the two sides, so it seemed that it was beneficial. However, his colleague Mike Garafolo has given a new update on that meeting.

While the meeting may have been good, it didn't really benefit progress on contract negotiations. Here is what Garafolo had to say on the subject (h/t 49ers Webzone).

"Is he [Aiyuk] going to be with the 49ers long-term, or is he not going to be with the 49ers long-term? Is he going to have to play out this year? He has alluded to the fact that he thinks he's going to be with the Niners in some form or fashion in '24. If not, with the Commanders or with the Steelers.

"For Aiyuk and the 49ers, they had conversations recently., They are no closer to a deal, from my understanding, but they are also no closer to a trade request. That's never been something that he has explored in this case. Besides, he's got to get back to work sometime before training camp to see if they can get something done."

Well that's interesting. The meeting was 'good' in one aspect, but didn't spark any traction on negotiations? What was the purpose of Aiyuk meeting with the 49ers then?

The purpose was for Aiyuk to let out his frustrations and speak to the 49ers person-to-person. During negotiations, Aiyuk isn't directly speaking to the 49ers in person nor is he doing it himself via messaging or calls. It is all through his agent, so he clearly wanted to know what was going on in person. His patience had worn thin if not eliminated completely.

It is also clear now after his appearance on The Pivot podcast that he has been feeling a little disrespected by the way negotiations have been going about from the offers the 49ers made and with the information being leaked. For him, he wanted that interpersonal communication to feel better with training camp, at the time, a month away.

It's tough to feel hopeful a deal gets done between the 49ers and Aiyuk, but that opening day of training camp on July 23 will be the first benchmark towards the situation intensifying.