Report: Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade after an offseason of unsuccessful attempts to reach an extension. Garafolo says that, despite Aiyuk’s recent meeting with the team, the 49ers haven’t been willing to engage in negotiations since May, which is the reason Aiyuk has asked out.

Aiyuk is in an unfamiliar situation. He sees the players around him playing the same position, receiving new contracts. As we’ve gone over, that’s now how the Niners do business. They have consistently waited until right around the beginning of training camp to work out new deals.

If you’ve ever been around Aiyuk in a practice or game setting, it doesn’t take long to realize he wears his emotions on his sleeves. So it’s not a surprise to see him act out or, in this scenario, request a trade.

Since the 49ers have Aiyuk under contract for another season, they don’t have to engage in any talks. Aiyuk seems to be taking the “my way or the highway” approach. A call from head coach Kyle Shanahan could smooth things over, letting his star receiver know that he is in the team’s plans not only this year but for the foreseeable future.

Aiyuk is a stud. The 49ers were at their best playing through them. He knows that, and Shanahan does, too. On the one hand, this could be the tip of the iceberg and cause other teams to make the Niners an offer they cannot refuse. But on the other, there’s little reason for San Francisco to budge if they are confident in their plan to pay Aiyuk—whether that’s this season or next.

Aiyuk is playing his cards right, as this is a way for him to get the 49ers to budge on negotiations. Training camp starts in a week, and if he doesn’t report, it’ll begin to cost Aiyuk money if he misses time. That won’t be the case if the team is working out a contract. We saw the Niners forgive Nick Bosa’s fines last season. If this is the move that leads to Aiyuk getting a deal done sooner rather than later, then props to him.

On the outside looking in, we don’t know if this is any different from Deebo Samuel’s situation from a couple of seasons ago. Deebo requested a trade far earlier in the offseason before eventually signing a contract. But this request is on the brink of training camp, and Aiyuk has not budged off his unhappiness about wanting a new contract.

Do you think the 49ers will be the one to blink first? Or is this something we will look back at and roll our eyes a month or two from now after Aiyuk has a big game and has scored multiple touchdowns?