Brandon Aiyuk provides another sign that negotiations with the 49ers are on the right track

The latest word on the long saga between the San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk is that they are not far apart on a potential contract.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo recently reported that the main points of the contract across the first three years are all essentially agreed, but that an issue with the final year of the deal was the sticking point.

Aiyuk's return to the 49ers' facility to watch practices — he had previously not been seen at practice since July 31 — this week pointed to negotiations being in a much better spot than the week prior, when it appeared San Francisco was on the brink of trading their leading wide receiver from the last two seasons.

And another sign that things are on the right track came on Sunday, when Aiyuk was reported by the Fox broadcast as attending the 49ers' second preseason game with the New Orleans Saints at Levi's Stadium.

Though Brock Purdy was given three series to knock the rust off, the starting quarterback did not have the benefit of throwing to any of his starting pass-catchers.

The struggles Purdy had throwing to wideouts at the bottom of the depth chart, as well as playing behind a makeshift offensive line, served to dispel the notion that any receiver can get open in the Shanahan offense.

While Purdy only being able to complete two passes to those backups is unlikely to increase Aiyuk's leverage in what the 49ers hope will be the final stages of their protracted negotiations with the 2020 first-round pick, a bemusing first outing of 2024 for San Francisco's signal-caller helped underscore how important a separator like Aiyuk is to the offense.

Hopefully for the Niners, the next time Aiyuk is in the stadium, he'll be on the field for Week 1.

Related: 49ers-Saints preseason game offers first glimpse of Brock Purdy 2.0: Five players to watch vs. New Orleans