Schefter: 49ers, Aiyuk seemed close to deal before WR market exploded

As the 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk are settled in with a gap on contract negotiations, the question remains just what it will take to get a deal done. Aiyuk, 26, is set to play on a fifth-year option worth $14.1 million after an All-Pro season.

This thing could linger uncomfortably into training camp. But it perhaps could have been avoided if the 49ers had gotten a deal done earlier with Aiyuk.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday, on that show with the guy in a perpetual tank top, that it seemed like both sides were close to a deal before the wide receiver market exploded. Massive deals were handed out to A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle and Justin Jefferson, all of whom got deals worth at least $28 million per year.

“The Niners absolutely do want Brandon Aiyuk back despite what he says,” Schefter said. “But they don't want him back as he thinks, at the price that he's seeking. And so that's where the breakdown occurs at this point in time. They've had contract talks throughout the offseason and at one point it seemed like they were closing in on a deal only to see the wide receiver market explode. We've seen Jaylen Waddle come in with a very strong deal that averages about $28 million a year with a lot of guaranteed money. Justin Jefferson comes in at $35 [million]. And I think once some of these wide receiver deals started getting done -- the Eagles did both their receivers -- I think the number might have shifted in Brandon Aiyuk's mind.

“But the Niners have always wanted him back. There have been conversations at various points with other teams where they asked if he were available. The Niners never were serious about trading him and they want him back. But the problem is they can't get a deal done right now. So Brandon Aiyuk is interpreting that as they don't want me anymore. No, they want him here. They just don't want him at the number that he wants to be there at.”

There have been reports that Aiyuk is looking for a deal similar to St. Brown’s contract. All of the elevated drama comes after Aiyuk posted a TikTok in which he FaceTimed former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels and said, “They told me they don’t want me.”

It’s unclear just how long the contract stalemate will linger, but it has shown no signs of abating recently.