Former New England Patriots wide receiver and Bay Area native Julian Edelman knows what he would do if he was in Brandon Aiyuk's shoes.
"If I was Brandon Aiyuk, I'd be a San Francisco [49er] Week 1," Edelman told Charissa Thompson on FOX's pregame show before the 49ers' preseason game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Levi's Stadium. "Usually a team goes out and wins a Super Bowl, and everyone tries to get paid. They haven't won a Super Bowl, but everyone is trying to get paid.
"So, if they can have the mental toughness, which means having the ability to do what's best for the team when it's not necessarily best for you, I'm just telling you, there's a jackpot at the end of the rainbow. That is a huge payday if they go out and get it done."
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Aiyuk has sat out all of training camp and both of the 49ers' preseason games so far as he tries to secure a contract extension or a trade to a team willing to give him the deal he wants.
NFL Media's Mike Garafolo reported Friday that Aiyuk wants the 49ers to make an adjustment to the final year of their contract proposal.
Per Garafolo, Aiyuk and the 49ers are in agreement on the first three years of a contract, but the last year is the hold-up.
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Aiyuk, who is scheduled to make $14.1 million in the fifth year of his rookie NFL contract, has been seen at 49ers practices but isn't participating.
With the 49ers' 2024 regular-season opener against the New York Jets just three weeks away, time is ticking for Aiyuk and the team to come to terms early enough for him to ramp up into game shape.
The 49ers have to hope that Aiyuk was listening to Edelman, a three-year Super Bowl champion.
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