49ers GM Lynch addresses Brandon Aiyuk extension talks ahead of NFL Draft
Aiyuk is entering the last year of his contract.
SANTA CLARA — 49ers general manager John Lynch met with the media to discuss the NFL Draft, which starts Thursday, but the biggest topic was a star receiver currently under contract, rather than a prospective rookie.
All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, 26, has been the subject of much speculation, as he’s entering the final year of his contract and could be dealt if the 49ers can’t find a long-term deal with him.
At the end of his opening remarks, Lynch tried to get ahead of the topic.
“With B.A., I’ve communicated on many occasions: Our wish is that he’s here as part of the Niners for the rest of his career,” Lynch said.
“We’re working through that,” Lynch added.
Lynch said Aiyuk has not been around the team, but Brock Purdy said he has run into the wideout rehabbing at the facility on occasion. The 49ers have received calls on the star receiver, the executive added.
“I’m not going to get in all those details,” Lynch said. “We’re really focused on B.A. being a part of (our team).”
Aiyuk’s agent recently took issue with a report that Aiyuk had requested a trade. A trade would most likely happen before this week’s draft, so the 49ers could recoup immediate draft compensation.
Lynch, a former All-Pro player himself, prefers to keep business negotiations private out of respect for players.
“We’re having good talks, and I’m just going to leave it at that,” Lynch said. “We’ll focus on the draft here today.”
The situation isn’t novel for Lynch and the 49ers. Business as usual for them, historically, is for negotiations to last deep into the offseason, but ultimately end with the organization paying top dollar for star players. Just two years ago, Deebo Samuel was in a similar spot. He held out for some of training camp before inking a three-year extension with $58.1 million guaranteed.
Although not as versatile as Samuel, Aiyuk might be more important to San Francisco. An elite route runner, Aiyuk was named a second-team All-Pro in 2023. He racked up a career-high 1,342 receiving yards on 75 catches, adding seven touchdowns. In the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, Aiyuk caught three balls for 49 yards.
Aiyuk developed a strong connection with Purdy. The two have texted a bit this offseason, Purdy said. The quarterback said Aiyuk is “like a brother” to him, and he wants the best for him.
“I love B.A.,” Purdy said. “What we’ve done has been pretty cool. I’ve said this before: I’m just thankful I’ve had the opportunity to play with him, throw him the ball and win games with him. It’s been awesome.
“But we’re at the time of year where, obviously, you don’t know. As a player, it’s out of our control to sign guys and stuff, that’s up to the front office. For me, I do trust John and Kyle in terms of getting guys who are going to make plays and be the right fit for our offense and everything. My job as a quarterback is trusting those guys to get the right guys, and execute to win.”
Asked if there’s any chance Aiyuk wouldn’t be on San Francisco’s roster on Friday, after the draft, Lynch smiled.
“I wouldn’t anticipate that,” Lynch said.