Lynch acknowledged that the significant salary cap increase was a welcome sight. However, he notes that every team benefits from the unprecedented cap increase, not just the 49ers.
Aiyuk is entering his fifth NFL season and is currently slated to play on the team-exercised fifth-year option. Naturally, both parties are interested in working out a long-term deal that is financially beneficial for the player and the team.
Lynch didn't reveal any details about the negotiation process, which is likely in the early stages. However, the general manager did praise his talented wideout and expressed the 49ers' desire to keep him around.
"We have some challenges," Lynch said of the negotiations to extend Aiyuk's deal. "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."
The recent track record includes securing a record deal with defensive end Nick Bosa last year, just before the start of the regular season, and signing wide receiver Deebo Samuel to an extension the year before. The 49ers obviously hope they can achieve similar success with Aiyuk.
Aiyuk led the 49ers in receiving yards with 1,342, marking his second consecutive season surpassing the 1,000-yard mark. San Francisco drafted the receiver with the No. 25 overall pick in 2020.
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