Brandon Aiyuk with hand on head while on phone call.Brandon Aiyuk (Photo via jasrifootball/Twitter)
The 49ers would not like to trade Brandon Aiyuk, but based on his most recent comments, things appear to be heading that way.

While on TikTok, the 49ers wide receiver was on Facetime with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels when he first stated, “I’m laughing, but I’m crying for real.”

Daniels asked him what had happened.

That is when Aiyuk stated, “They said they don’t want me back. I swear”

They, as in the 49ers front office, seem to be the party he is stating doesn’t want him back.

The 49ers wide receiver, who is set to play the 2024 campaign on his fifth-year option, has been involved in multiple trade rumors and controversies ever since the team lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs in February.

Publicly, the 49ers front office has expressed the desire to keep Brandon Aiyuk long-term, but the finances that Aiyuk believes he’s worth might not make that a real possibility.

A team willing to trade for Aiyuk will not only have to give up assets like draft picks or a player, but they also have to be willing to give him the contract that he desires.

Brandon Aiyuk Contract Talks ‘Have Stalled’

Over the weekend, ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler reported that negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on a new contract aren’t going well.

Fowler reported on SportsCenter that “things have stalled a bit.”

“They’re going to see what happens over the next six weeks leading into training camp. The 49ers want Aiyuk long-term in the fold but so far, they have not been willing to show that they’re going to meet the market of wide receiver, which we’re seeing these massive numbers. Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit $30 million, Justin Jefferson well above that. Aiyuk believes he’s a top guy, and so, something’s got to give. And so, he’s worked himself into a top-10 receiver conversation. We’ll see, not a lot of momentum right now. Not a lot of optimism.”

Ahead of the 2024 NFL draft, 49ers general manager John Lynch said the team would love to keep him in the Bay Area for the entirety of his career, but that is looking unlikely.

Aiyuk is in the last year of his rookie contract, and a new deal could easily increase his earnings to $30 million or more.