Trading Brandon Aiyuk may be a hot topic for some, but not the 49ers.
General manager John Lynch, speaking to Bay Area media at the NFL owners’ meeting in Florida, disputed reports that the 49ers are discussing any potential trade of Aiyuk.
“We’re actively talking to Brandon and trying to figure something out,” Lynch told Bay Area media, according to Tracy Sandler of Fangirl Sports Network. “We have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done, to get something done. It takes two sides. So can we do that? We’ll see.
“There is a number of different directions it could go,” Lynch added from the owners meetings in Orlando, Fla. “But we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player. We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we’re going to work towards making that a reality.”
The rumors of a Brandon Aiyuk trade to Pittsburgh are false. “We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we’re going to work towards making that a reality.” John Lynch #49ers pic.twitter.com/zK3CsRJxD4
— Tracy Sandler (@TracyFGSN) March 25, 2024
Aiyuk, after posting a second straight season of over 1,000 receiving yards, is slated to make $14.1 million this year under the fifth-year option that closes out his rookie contract. Lynch, in meeting with Bay Area media, said the 49ers are OK with Aiyuk playing at that salary.
Aiyuk, however. is likely seeking greater financial security and a multi-year contract that aligns with other receivers atop the NFL’s pay grade, at about $25 million annually.
John Lynch said the 49ers are actively talking with Brandon Aiyuk and there has been no trade discussions. All those reports are not accurate, Lynch said. He said the team would be OK with Aiyuk playing on the fifth-year option.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) March 25, 2024
Rumors swirled last week that the Pittsburgh Steelers could be vying for Aiyuk, who addressed a social-media post to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin if he thought they looked like twins.
Lynch scuttled that potential trade, saying: “I was just with Mike Tomlin at the Michigan pro day and Mike coached me (at the Tampa Bay Bucs), so we’re very close. He’s like, ‘Bro, what’s going on?’ I promise you, we’ve got nothing, and nothing is going on there.
Mike Tomlin on if he looks like Brandon Aiyuk:
“I’ve heard a lot of that recently.”
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) March 25, 2024
CHAMPIONSHIP CHATTER
Chiefs coach Andy Reid, six weeks after beating the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, believes coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy make up a “deadly” combination that is destined for more success. That said, Reid’s Chiefs will try to become the first team to win the Super Bowl in three straight seasons.
“A lot of respect for Brock,” Reid told reporters, according to The Athletic. “He does a nice job. I don’t really care where he got picked; that doesn’t matter to me.
“He’s just a good player, he sees the field, he’s got good accuracy, great timing with his receivers, and he’s calm. You feel like he’s got everything kind of under control.”
Reid also praised Shanahan as “a smart guy and a heck of a football coach,” adding that their Super Bowl encounters in the 2019 and ’23 seasons “could have gone either way. It was just a toss up. … So you just keep plugging, just keep doing what you’re doing, and somewhere you pop over the hill there. I know he’s got a great young quarterback, and him with a great young quarterback is deadly.”
Shanahan, in a Sunday interview with NFL Network, also endorsed Purdy’s potential and the potential benefits of this upcoming offseason work.
“Brock’s gone through a lot in two years in these games, so that’s been great for him. But the way you get better is doing it over and over in practice and just drilling it. It’s all about getting those 10,000 reps,” Shanahan told NFL Media’s Steve Wyche. “He spent it all last year knowing what he had to do, but he was just focusing (on getting) his arm healthy. Now he can go into this offseason knowing what he has to do but training his footwork, training his arm, training his mind. Just getting in the reps.”
Reid noted that the 49ers were “potentially” among the teams who tried to hire away defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for a similar role.
HEALTH UPDATES
Tight end George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward underwent core-muscle surgery and should be fully healthy by training camp, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported. Both Kittle and Ward earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is aiming to play in the season opener if all goes well in his recovery from an Achilles tear in the Super Bowl; Greenlaw could start training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list and, if he remains on it in Week 1, he’d have to miss at least the first four games.
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ACCOUNTING PENALTY
Docked a 2025 fifth-round draft pick last week for an accounting error, Lynch said the 49ers mistakingly paid $75,000 extra to an unspecified player and unsuccessfully tried to recoup it rather than initially reporting their gaffe to the league prior to 2023, Maiocco reported.
