Why Brandon Aiyuk Personally Requested a Meeting with the 49ers

I can see why Aiyuk is frustrated.

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 can't figure out how to get the 49ers to give him what he wants.

He tried to skip OTAs and minicamp. He tried expressing his displeasure on social media. But the 49ers still won't budge.

They reportedly have offered him $26 million per season, which is what he's worth to them but not what he'd be worth on the open market, where he'd get more than $30 million per season. But he's not a free agent. He's under contract for one more year and then the 49ers could franchise tag him two times after that if they want to. So he's stuck.

That's why he requested a meeting with the 49ers on Monday.

"Brandon Aiyuk told us that he wanted to set this meeting up himself," Ryan Clark said on ESPN. "And when he was sitting with us, he said that he's taking negotiations personal. The way that they have negotiated with him, the way that they have told him why he's worth what he's worth, it has touched him. It has affected him. He says he wants to be in San Francisco first but is comfortable playing elsewhere if that's something the 49ers are willing to do via trade. And I will tell you this -- when he sat with us, he did not walk into the room alone. First, it was Brandon Aiyuk. Second, it was Jayden Daniels. I'm not a tea leaf reader, but it seems like Aiyuk wouldn't mind playing in Washington."

After Clark finished, Adam Schefter said this: "(Aiyuk) played with Jayden Daniels (in college). I'm sure the two would love to get together. There were some conversations at one point between the 49ers and the Commanders. The Commanders were interested but they decided not to do that deal. The 49ers didn't want to move on from Aiyuk anyway."

It sounds like the 49ers asked for more than the Commanders are willing to trade for Aiyuk, which is interesting. In the contract negotiation, they're treating Aiyuk like he's a high-level no. 2 receiver who's a replaceable product of Kyle Shanahan's system. When other teams try to trade for Aiyuk, the 49ers act like he's an elite no. 1 receiver who's worth a first-round pick and more.

I can see why Aiyuk is frustrated. Unfortunately for him, all he can do is meet with the 49ers so they can let him down face-to-face.