Brandon Aiyuk had not yet reported to training camp when San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan sat down for their start-of-training-camp press conference. Players were still arriving at the facility at the time.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that Aiyuk planned to report to the team today, eliminating the possibility of further fines for missing mandatory portions of the offseason. The receiver accumulated approximately $100,000 in fines for skipping last month's mandatory minicamp and would face about $40,000 more per day if he missed training camp.
Aiyuk and the 49ers have been at a stalemate in their contract extension negotiations. The receiver is currently set to earn $14.124 million on a team-exercised fifth-year option, well below the market value for the position, which has surged this offseason.
"We've had great communication," Lynch stated. "We started this really early. We made it a priority to try to get it done. We've had excellent communication throughout. Really don't want to characterize it. We haven't been able to, and that's a shame, but Brandon's a big part of our team, and we expect that he will be this year."
While reporting to training camp eliminates the possibility of more fines, most expect Aiyuk to refrain from participating in practices with his teammates. However, Lynch has different expectations.
"We expect all our players to practice," said Lynch.
Despite the challenging negotiations with Aiyuk, Lynch sees a silver lining in the 49ers' repeatedly navigating similar situations with multiple star players in recent years.
"I think it's important to note we're fortunate to be in this position where we have a lot of talented players, so you have to have these conversations," Lynch declared. "This one has been challenging. As I said, when we set it out, we started it earlier than we have in the past, made it a priority, and there's a lot of dynamics. I'm not going to get into all of them, but there's a lot of dynamics as to why it's been challenging. The fifth-year option is something we all sign up for when you have a first-round pick, and that's been out there, but we've tried diligently to get this done. We haven't been able to get there.
"What I've learned from my past experiences for the last seven years, going into our eighth, is that sometimes, when you think there's no way this thing's going to progress, they do. Sometimes, when you think, all right, this thing's done tomorrow, it's not. So you just keep going. You stay in communication, and you understand that it's a business."
While the 49ers have reportedly told inquiring teams that they have no intention of trading Aiyuk, Lynch noted that there are "no absolutes" in this process.
"We fully intend on Brandon being a Niner moving forward," Lynch continued. "We're always open to listen to things, but we expect Brandon to be an integral part of our team like he has been."
Lynch added that rewarding star players in recent years makes future negotiations more challenging because it means less money to go around. However, it's a sign they are doing a good job in their roster-building process.
The 49ers have been criticized for seemingly taking their time with contract negotiations. It will likely cost them with Aiyuk, who could have been signed for less earlier in the offseason before the market surged. Lynch was asked why the team likes to prolong these bigger contract negotiations.
"I don't," Lynch responded. "I'm impatient. I like going. And I think, again, we've had a lot of really talented players, and I'll put our track record against anybody in terms of getting players signed. I wish it could happen quicker, but I'm proud of our record."
When asked about a potential timeline for completing a deal with Aiyuk, Lynch commented, "No date. Yesterday. But we'll continue communicating and keep working."