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The last hurdle for Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers to agree to a lucrative contract extension appears to be the final, non-guaranteed year of the potential deal.
NFL Media's Mike Garafolo reported Friday that Aiyuk and the 49ers are on the same page regarding the first three years of the proposed contract, but that the star wide receiver wants an adjustment to a non-guaranteed fourth year.
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"The 49ers feel like they have already caved enough and caved more than they wanted to,: Garafolo told Puck Sports host "Jason "Puck" Puckett on the weekly "Mike Garafolo Show" on Friday (h/t Steelers Depot). "They have come up significantly from their offer in the spring. My reporting is that they are pretty much agreed to over the first three years of the deal, which is usually the hard part. That's the the guarantee, the cash flow, the APY over the first couple of years, average per year and that Aiyuk just wants … an adjustment in the final year of the deal, which is not guaranteed.
"That year is never guaranteed and we've seen a lot of wide receivers and agents put big numbers in that last year to inflate the average per year. It doesn't sound like that that's exactly what want there more of a meaningful adjustment to that year but still not guaranteed and something that the 49ers could walk away from. That's where the standoff is right now. I've called it uncomfortable and contentious at times. I think it's still that but it's really close to being done. That's why the 49ers have said 'We're not going to make a move and and trade him away because we feel like we could still get this deal done.' "
Garafolo reported Tuesday that Aiyuk and the 49ers had exchanged contract offers that were within range of each other, and that the 26-year-old wideout was waiting for San Francisco to make a decision on one final item.
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Based on Garafolo's latest reporting Friday, the obstacle standing in the way of the 49ers and Aiyuk coming to an agreement has to do with that last year.
General manager John Lynch appeared on KNBR 680 on Friday morning and was asked why contract discussions with Aiyuk have dragged on so long.
“I wish I knew,” Lynch said on KNBR’s "Murph & Markus" show. “I wish I knew.”
Lynch also made it clear that the sides are trying to figure out a resolution to the situation.
“It’s been a long, arduous, hard process, hard journey,” Lynch told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “We started this early and for whatever reason haven’t been able to get it across the finish line. That’s been frustrating. But the communication has still been really good with Brandon and his agent, and we’re trying to figure out a solution.
“I’m always hopeful. I’m an optimistic person at nature, and so I’m always hopeful that we get there and get there soon. I can tell you we feel the urgency to have him. The season is approaching."
While the 49ers reportedly have trade framework in place with the Pittsburgh Steelers to send Aiyuk to Steel City, it's clear their desire is to work something out with the former first-round draft pick to keep him in San Francisco.
If the 49ers and Aiyuk can find common ground on the back-end of a proposed contract, the situation finally could be resolved.
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