SANTA CLARA — It is no mystery why Brandon Aiyuk did not take part in any of the 49ers’ first 17 practices of training camp.
When negotiations with the 49ers aimed at arriving at a multi-year contract stalled, Aiyuk requested a trade one week before the opening of training camp.
It’s a well-known, understood practice that a player who has an unresolved contract issue will avoid the risk of injury — and maintain leverage in negotiations — with the decision to withhold his services to the team.
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And teams know that it’s not a reasonable approach to threaten a fine to force a player to practice against his will, either.
Coach Kyle Shanahan has stated — fully aware of the real situation — that Aiyuk is not practicing due to soreness.
He stops just short of tilting his head and winking or using air quotes when he says Aiyuk has a “sore back.”
“I think it has to do with when they have injuries and stuff,” Shanahan said about the reason the 49ers are not forcing Aiyuk to get on the field.
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“I don't sit there and kind of play that game. That's how the league works right now. That's how the rules are. You have a ‘hold-in.’ Guys usually have something wrong with them, so they can keep doing that. And so I just coach the team.”
Aiyuk’s future remains unresolved for reasons that seem to be a mystery to most everyone. General manager John Lynch was asked Friday on KNBR what is taking so long. He answered, “I wish I knew; I wish I knew.”
What is known is that Aiyuk will not practice with the 49ers or any other team until he agrees to a new contract. The 49ers continue to strive toward a long-term contract extension with Aiyuk while also holding trade agreements with multiple teams.
Aiyuk remains under contract to the 49ers for the 2024 NFL season at $14.124 million. But he is seeking a significant raise, and most assuredly will receive a new deal before the start of the regular season.
Until then, everybody is just playing the game while Aiyuk’s “hold in” continues.
“I'm just saying when you guys call it a hold-in, and I'm not disagreeing with you guys on that, but people say that they're hurt,” Shanahan said. “I think B.A. has a sore back right now, and it is what it is.”
Shanahan did not say the obvious part out loud. The only known cure for this kind of “sore back” is a new contract.
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