As Brandon Aiyuk awaits an update on his contract situation with the San Francisco 49ers, one of his teammates is optimistic that the two sides will remain together. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel, appearing on the "Up and Adams" show this week, expressed confidence that Aiyuk and the 49ers' brain trust will come to an agreement.
Aiyuk is preparing to enter his fifth NFL season, and the 49ers have exercised the 25-year-old player's fifth-year option, keeping him under contract through the 2024 season. However, both sides would prefer to reach a long-term deal before Aiyuk retakes the field.
When asked about Aiyuk's future, Samuel responded, "Yeah, I love that guy. I don't see him leaving, though. I don't see him leaving."
Aiyuk is coming off an impressive 2023 campaign, leading the team with 1,342 receiving yards and hauling in seven touchdowns. It marked his second consecutive season surpassing the 1,000-yard mark, becoming the first 49ers wideout to achieve that feat since Anquan Boldin in 2013 and 2014.
"If you look at his numbers from when he got to the league and now, it's always a different type of leap," Samuel said of his teammate and friend. "And so, like I told him, I said, 'Hey, man, you put yourself in a position to be where you want to be.' He's up for a new deal and things like that.
"And I just told him, because I've been through it, it's not going to be all fine and dandy like you think it's going to be. You've got to stay the course. You done did everything possible that you did for you to be in a position that you be in, and just let everything play out."
General manager John Lynch recently discussed the importance of reaching an agreement with Aiyuk and hopes the young wide receiver remains with the 49ers for a long time.
"We have some challenges," Lynch admitted last week at the NFL Scouting Combine. "We have a lot of good players, a lot of good players who we've rewarded. Brandon's one that we think incredibly highly of, one of my favorite guys around our building, the way he approaches the game. He's a competitor. He's a warrior. He plays with such physicality, also with grace, in the way some of the positions his body can get into.
"And then he's got a flair for making plays when [they] matter most, and he's served us very well as a franchise. And I think we've got a nice track record of extending the players that are important to us, and Brandon's a guy we want to keep around for a long time."