Brandon Aiyuk going through a very different workout program as San Francisco 49ers holdout drags on
After electing to skip the voluntary part of the San Francisco 49ers' offseason workout program, Brandon Aiyuk continued his contract holdout into this week's mandatory minicamp. The All-Pro wide receiver is risking a six-figure fine by choosing not to report to the compulsory weak of practice as he and Niners continue to negotiate over a […]
After electing to skip the voluntary part of the San Francisco 49ers' offseason workout program, Brandon Aiyuk continued his contract holdout into this week's mandatory minicamp.
The All-Pro wide receiver is risking a six-figure fine by choosing not to report to the compulsory weak of practice as he and Niners continue to negotiate over a long-term extension.
But the 49ers can at least be reassured that Aiyuk is staying in shape as he stays away from the facility.
Aiyuk posted a video to his Instagram story on Wednesday. It featured him catching a deep ball while working out on a baseball field and had the caption 'OTA day 5'.
While the 49ers have outwardly displayed great calm over the situation, they would be forgiven for having some concern over Aiyuk spending extended time away from the team. Both Deebo Samuel and, more recently, Nick Bosa have conceded that their own prolonged contract negotiations with the 49ers had a negative impact on their subsequent seasons.
Bosa's struggles to hit his 2022 heights in 2023 had nothing to do with him being out of shape. However, Samuel, having received his lucrative extension on the back of an All-Pro 2021 campaign, described his 2022 performance as "sluggish".
There was nothing sluggish about Aiyuk's movement in the video he posted and, though the 49ers would much rather see him run routes at their facility, head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear on Tuesday that his view of San Francisco's leading receiver from the last two seasons is not changed by him choosing to stay away from the building.
Said Shanahan: "You find out when guys are in those situations, whether they come or not. Some guys come because they want to avoid a fine, and some don’t.
"But regardless, it doesn’t change anything when those guys have come. We know what the process is, we know what the business part is, and that’s just how they decide how they want to handle this week.”
The 49ers have typically stuck to a timeline of paying star players around training camp. Their apparent desire to maintain that policy this season is costing them leverage in talks with Aiyuk as more and more receivers have agreed long-term deals this offseason amid his holdout. It's in the 49ers' best interests to get Aiyuk away from the diamond and back on the field as soon as possible.
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