The meeting between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers last week might not have gone as well as initially reported.
NFL Media's Tom Pelissero reported last Wednesday that both parties had a "good meeting" and San Francisco intends to move forward with Aiyuk on the roster for the 2024 NFL season, but NFL insider Mike Garafolo shared Tuesday that they are "no closer to a deal" following their latest in-person discussions.
But just because a new contract has yet to be agreed upon, Garafolo added that still doesn't mean the 49ers are leaning toward parting ways with the star receiver.
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"For Aiyuk and the 49ers, they had conversations recently," Garafolo reported Tuesday on NFL Network's "The Insiders" (h/t 49ers WebZone). "They are no closer to a deal, from my understanding, but they are also no closer to a trade request. That's never been something that he has explored in this case.
"Besides, he's got to get back to work sometime before training camp to see if they can get something done."
After weeks of shared tension and cryptic social media messages, Aiyuk requested a meeting with the 49ers last Monday as the two sides continue to negotiate a lucrative contract extension.
"Here's what I can tell you. Aiyuk and 49ers brass met on Monday at Aiyuk's request," Pelissero said last week. "This was a good meeting. From what I was told, both sides said things that needed to be said and they're going to keep working. It's important to note here, there's never been a trade request from Brandon Aiyuk. That hasn't changed. The 49ers' stance hasn't changed either despite getting trade calls on Aiyuk going back to draft week.
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"They're moving forward and they want Aiyuk to be a part of the team in 2024. So what I would anticipate here is all parties involved will go ahead and enjoy the Fourth of July holiday, regroup sometime after that -- they've still got several weeks here to see if they can hammer out a deal that locks in Brandon Aiyuk with San Francisco for the long haul."
While lots of speculation continues to circulate, Aiyuk himself went on "The Pivot" podcast last week to clear some things up.
He explained some of his recent social media activity while opening up about how the contract negotiations have personally made him feel.
In the end, though, Aiyuk predicted which team he sees himself playing for in 2024, and it's no different than the one he has spent his entire NFL career with thus far.
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