Kyle Shanahan gives 49ers fans hope regarding Brandon Aiyuk saga

Heading into the second weekend of August, it seems as if wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will either stay with the San Francisco 49ers through at least the 2024 season or orchestrate a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

During a Thursday appearance on San Francisco sports radio station KNBR, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan left the door open for the club to hold onto the 26-year-old, who is looking to sign a massive contract extension in the final year of his rookie deal.

"In a perfect world, you'd love all that to happen," Shanahan said about the 49ers extending Aiyuk, as David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone shared. "But there's a lot of sides to it. There's us, what we want, it's what he wants. There's a whole contract and stuff to that. It's the tough business part of this league, and some years it can be harder than others. This is a very difficult one, but it's something you're always holding out hope for."

It was previously revealed that Aiyuk's "preference" is to join the Steelers if the 49ers are unwilling to meet his asking price regarding an extension. Herm Edwards, who coached Aiyuk when both were with Arizona State and who is close with 49ers general manager John Lynch, later raised eyebrows when he said on Thursday he believes San Francisco and Aiyuk "would like [a deal] to get done" because the 2020 first-round draft pick "wants to win."

The 49ers are coming off their Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and are expected to compete again for a title.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Mike Silver reported earlier this week that Shanahan "is bothered by Aiyuk’s behavior" and "is willing to part ways [with him]." While Shanahan acknowledged during Thursday's segment he'd like this saga to be resolved "sooner than later," he understands it's a complicated matter for multiple reasons.

"...There's got to be two teams tied to that, and B.A.'s also got to agree on that, too," Shanahan noted. "So anytime that takes three things, it's not that easy. That's why we're looking at every possibility and really hoping that, when it's all said and done, it's the best thing for the 49ers and the best thing for B.A."

NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested on Thursday that the 49ers could ultimately match Pittsburgh's contract offer for Aiyuk because keeping him was "always" San Francisco's initial plan. All Shanahan knew for certain as of Thursday night was that Aiyuk probably won't take the field for the 49ers' preseason opener at the Tennessee Titans on Saturday evening.