Naturally, the 49ers entered the offseason prepared to move forward without Aiyuk. However, the organization appears determined to hold out hope that another team might still be willing to trade something—anything—for him.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo joined guest host Tom Pelissero to discuss the ongoing situation surrounding Aiyuk. Garafolo did not hold back while discussing what advice he would give the receiver.
"If I could advise Brandon Aiyuk, I would tell him to show up for work," Garafolo said. "I would have told him to show up for work a couple of weeks ago. Go ahead, see if they're willing to let you work out and run routes and do things at their facility that, if you're injured, all of a sudden, those guarantees are back, and your money is on their books once again.
"He did not do that. He has not done that. He's got a lot of pride. That's kind of where we are, why we are where we are, because it was strongly suggested to him that he show up for everything he needed to show up for last year during his rehab and team meetings, because they're going to take those guarantees away.
"And he didn't listen to those warnings all along the way, and now, he's at a point where the team is controlling things rather than him controlling things."
Some around the league have suggested the 49ers are essentially holding Aiyuk hostage by refusing to release him immediately, knowing a trade is unlikely. San Francisco reportedly will not keep the receiver beyond September 1, when his option bonus becomes due.
Complicating matters further is the belief that interested teams have also struggled to contact Aiyuk, making a potential trade even more difficult.
"Again, Aiyuk could put an end to this tomorrow if he wanted to," Garafolo continued. "He hasn't been willing to do that. I don't know why, if you're Washington or anybody, you'd give up a pick for a guy in this situation, when you know what's happening. So, it continues to play out, and who knows? Maybe one day, Brandon Aiyuk will be watching The Rich Eisen Show and say, 'You know what? That's some good advice. I think I'm going to take it.'"
Pelissero also noted that teams may still have concerns about Aiyuk's health status following the significant knee injury.
"Could he actually even get past a physical right now?" Pelissero asked rhetorically.
Garafolo added, "I don't know if he wants to play! I can't answer that question. Does he want to play NFL football? Does he want to play in Washington? I have no idea. That's all part of it, too."
The longer the situation drags on, the more uncertainty surrounds Aiyuk's NFL future.
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