All of us have been waiting for a resolution to the Brandon Aiyuk saga all offseason, but it doesn’t seem to end. Aiyuk hasn’t been traded, his contract with the 49ers hasn’t been extended and he has also not participated in the practice.
Earlier, there were reports that the Steelers and 49ers had a potential deal for Aiyuk, but even that didn’t come to fruition.
On Wednesday, he reportedly did not come to the practice but his absence was different this time.
The General Manager of the 49ers John Lynch spoke with reporters on Wednesday before practice and he expected Aiyuk to practice with his teammates. According to ESPN, when asked what happens if Aiyuk doesn’t practice, he responded “Then we’ll deal with that”. He also said that “at some point, you’ve got to play”.
After that, the San Francisco 49ers continued with their practice but the local reporters were not able to spot Aiyuk at the scene.
He has been holding in, but there are also injury concerns as well. He has been dealing with an injury that may have held him out. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he was cleared by team doctors after he had back and neck issues in training camp. If this continues, he could be subjected to fines for the first time Wednesday.
If he signs with the 49ers with an extension, whatever fines he may or may not have racked up could be waived by the team since the WR was still on his rookie deal.