49ers and Brandon Aiyuk trapped in a completely unnecessary game of chicken where nobody wins

The San Francisco 49ers' contract negotiations with Brandon Aiyuk are not going well. In fact, they aren't really going at all.

San Francisco and Aiyuk have long since been locked in an impasse in negotiations over a long-term extension for the All-Pro wide receiver, whose frustration with the lack of progress reached a tipping point on Tuesday.

Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Aiyuk has officially requested a trade from the 49ers.

The 49ers, however, have no desire to oblige his request.

Indeed, after news of the trade request broke, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Niners have told teams that have reached out about Aiyuk that they have no intention of trading their leading receiver from the last two seasons.

San Francisco, per Garafolo, has reportedly not engaged in negotiations with Aiyuk since May. In other words, they are unwilling to budge on their last offer to the 2020 first-round pick.

So what we have here is a game of chicken, with Aiyuk using the one bit of leverage he has at his disposal to try to bring the 49ers to the table a week out from training camp. The 49ers, though, are firmly dug in, unwilling to improve their offer and unwilling to even consider a trade.

Who blinks first remains to be seen, but the situation is not helping anyone involved, and it could have been easily avoided.

The 49ers are reported to have offered Aiyuk a deal that would pay him around $26 million annually. Aiyuk is said to want to beat Amon-Ra St. Brown's four-year, $120 million extension with the Detroit Lions. That pays St. Brown $28 million annually over the first three years.

That is not a big gap to bridge, and the 49ers' reluctance to do so is bemusing. With the increase in salary cap, more big-name receivers set to command extensions next offseason and Aiyuk's upward career trajectory, a deal for him around the same number as that of St. Brown would likely quickly look like a steal .

Instead of making that relatively easy jump, the Niners are now in danger of having Aiyuk miss at least some of training camp and, even if they do get him signed to an extension, having one of their most important players on offense very disgruntled following a saga he openly admitted has affected him personally.

The 49ers could have resolved this months ago, but they instead opted for a staring contest that has no real winner and could well damage their Super Bowl aspirations. Whichever way you slice it, it's a bad look.

Related: Brandon Aiyuk gives San Francisco 49ers a sense of deja vu by officially requesting a trade