Newest reporting on 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk talks explains Deebo Samuel's optimism around the deal

Deebo Samuel was posed a tough question on Friday.

In an interview with Kay Adams for 'Up and Adams', the San Francisco 49ers star was asked if the Niners could win a Super Bowl without his fellow wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

It is a question that a lot of people have considered of late as Aiyuk's contract saga with the 49ers has rumbled on to the point where him being traded became a distinct possibility.

Samuel gave it some thought, but was eventually able to find a way out of providing an answer, instead stating his belief that Aiyuk will be on the team in 2024 and in the years to come.

"I think BA's gonna be a part of this team so we don't have to worry about that," Samuel replied.

Samuel's confidence in that regard looks increasingly well-founded. After the 49ers re-engaged in contract talks with Aiyuk last week having previously appeared on the verge of trading their leading receiver from the last two seasons, Aiyuk this week returned to the facility to watch practice for the first time since July 31.

He has been present throughout the week as the 49ers have geared up for their second preseason game, which takes place at Levi's Stadium against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, with reports suggesting San Francisco and Aiyuk aren't far apart on a long-term extension.

Earlier this week, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo indicated that the 49ers needed to clear just one final hurdle to get the deal done.

Speaking on Puck Sports host Jason Puckett's weekly "Mike Garafolo Show", he gave further detail as to the exact nature of the hold up preventing a deal from being finalized.

"The 49ers feel like they have already caved enough and caved more than they wanted to," Garafolo said.

"They have come up significantly from their offer in the spring. My reporting is that they are pretty much agreed to over the first three years of the deal, which is usually the hard part. That's the the guarantee, the cash flow, the APY over the first couple of years, average per year and that Aiyuk just wants an adjustment in the final year of the deal, which is not guaranteed.

"That year is never guaranteed and we've seen a lot of wide receivers and agents put big numbers in that last year to inflate the average per year. It doesn't sound like that that's exactly what he wants there, more of a meaningful adjustment to that year but still not guaranteed and something that the 49ers could walk away from. That's where the standoff is right now.

"I've called it uncomfortable and contentious at times. I think it's still that but it's really close to being done. That's why the 49ers have said 'We're not going to make a move and and trade him away because we feel like we could still get this deal done.'"

It's unlikely Aiyuk has divulged too many details to Samuel despite being seen chatting with him at several points during practice this week. Still, there's a good chance his optimism over the Niners keeping Aiyuk is grounded in knowledge that the two sides are substantially closer to an agreement than they were even last week.

With so much of the contract seemingly in place, the chances of the 49ers walking away and trading Aiyuk because of an issue with the final year of the deal appear slim. The likelihood now is that the 49ers find a compromise on that sticking point and vindicate Samuel's confidence by tying arguably their most important pass-catching weapon to a long-term deal.

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