Will the 49ers, Brandon Aiyuk Find a Resolution When Training Camp Starts?

The first benchmark on agreeing to a contract extension between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers is when training camp starts on July 23. Will a resolution be found by then?

Oct 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) warms up before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Contract negotiations, or lack thereof, between the San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk has intensified negatively in the last two weeks.

From leaks/reports of what Aiyuk is looking for, to Aiyuk hopping on The Pivot podcast to air out all the grievances he has with the situation. It's been a lot recently with hardly anything to feel hopeful about. That was until Aiyuk and the 49ers had a meeting or two last week.

The two sides reportedly had a meeting on June 24 that proved to be beneficial. Aiyuk also posted on Instagram on June 28 of himself driving into the 49ers' facility, so it seems the two sides are trying to make it work. So, a bit of positivity has spawned from it, but it won't matter until training camp arrives on July 23.

That is when the first benchmark will be on whether or not Aiyuk and the 49ers will come to an agreement on a contract extension. Either it is going to be settled, or it is going to linger far into training camp like it did with Nick Bosa last year.

So, will the 49ers and Aiyuk find a resolution on a contract when training camp starts?

I think they will, and the resolution will be that Aiyuk is going to play on the final year of his rookie deal. That means Aiyuk will participate in practice from the beginning or will only miss the first week of practice until the pads come on like Deebo Samuel did.

Now, you may be questioning why Aiyuk would participate at the start or only holdout initially. The reason is that I think Aiyuk will eventually realize he has no leverage. Rather than holdout for something that isn't going happen, it makes sense for Aiyuk to show up instead of hurting his start to the season,

He saw how it hurt Samuel and Bosa the last two years. The last thing he wants is to do the same for himself and hurt his value in the last year of his deal. I believe that is how the meeting with Aiyuk and the 49ers went, which is why he is showing up to the facility recently. He may be trying to sway him that he deserves, which he does.

I think the 49ers should extend him, but since he isn't a consistently heavily featured option, the 49ers likely feel they can't justify cashing him out like that. We're only three weeks away from seeing how this takes a turn. Either a resolution will be found by then, or this will continue for the long haul.