San Francisco reportedly demands Brandon Aiyuk's return to training despite contract dramas

Although the NFL season starts in less than two weeks – wide receiver of the San Francisco 49ers Brandon Aiyuk has not trained for the team due to the ongoing dispute over a long-term contract with the team.

49ers GM John Lynch said Wednesday about the Aiyuk situation that “you have to play at some point.”

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Starting Wednesday, the 49ers will begin their regular season in just 12 days – and was not present at the start of training, according to a report from The athletics David Lombardi. However, it appears that Lynch and the San Francisco leadership expect Aiyuk to be on the field sooner rather than later.

Aiyuk is expected to be the focal point of the 49ers' wide receiver corps when he returns in 2024. Last season, he caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and scored seven touchdowns. With his second consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season, the 49ers wide receiver believes he's done enough to earn his contract extension, whether in San Francisco or elsewhere.

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At one time, it seemed as though the Pittsburgh Steelers were a likely landing spot for the Pro Bowl receiver. However, the 49ers have reportedly were not satisfied with what the Steelers had to offer them, which sent those teams back to the drawing board. For now, it looks like Aiyuk will continue to put up big numbers in San Francisco when he returns to the field.

Whether he'll be on the field in time for Monday Night Football's opener against the New York Jets remains to be seen, but it seems Lynch and his team expect him to play whether he has his fifth-year option or a shiny new contract.

According to recent reports, Aiyuk and the 49ers are making progress toward a long-term deal.

“They hope they can make a deal,” Fowler said on SportsCenter on Saturday“Pittsburgh remains on standby. They'd like to trade Brandon Aiyuk. They've set parameters, but trade talks, I'm told over the last week, have been pretty quiet. The people I've talked to who thought a week ago it might just be luck believe San Francisco probably has a slight edge, maybe 60-40, something like that.

“Executives I've spoken to around the league believe the 49ers will end up signing a contract extension in the range of $30 million a year, maybe even a little less.”