Does Brandon Aiyuk Want Out of the 49ers' Organization?

Just last year, Aiyuk called himself a fourth-option in a run-first offense.

Dec 3, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Most people assume the contract drama between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers will work itself out and he'll stick around because the 49ers have leverage, which is true. They do have leverage.

But if Aiyuk had it his way, it seems clear he'd prefer to play for another team. One that would feature him in ways the 49ers never have and never will.

Remember, Aiyuk was a first-round draft pick -- the 49ers took him just three spots after the Vikings took Justin Jefferson. Aiyuk probably feels he should get the ball as often as the Vikings feed Jefferson. But in 62 career games, Aiyuk has been targeted 399 times, while Jefferson has been targeted a whopping 576 times in 60 career games.

Just last year, Aiyuk called himself a fourth-option in a run-first offense. And while led the team in targets in 2023, the 49ers still are a run-first team, which means Aiyuk never will get the amount of targets he feels he has earned.

Which wide receiver in the NFL plays harder than Aiyuk? Blocks harder than him? Practices than him? He does everything right and never complains. And yet, the 49ers still made an example out of him and put him in the doghouse for half a season in 2021 and never explained why. And then in the Super Bowl a couple months ago, they targeted him just six times and lost.

Aiyuk probably feels Kyle Shanahan's reluctance to feature him cost the 49ers a Super Bowl. So why would Aiyuk want to keep playing here? He'll never be happy. The 49ers should consider that when they decide whether to trade him.