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The final hurdle for Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers to agree to a lucrative contract extension appears to be the final, non-guaranteed year of his contract.
NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reported Friday that Aiyuk and the 49ers have agreed to terms on the first three years of the proposed deal, but the star wide receiver wants to adjust to the non-guaranteed fourth year.
“The 49ers feel like they’ve already caved in enough, more than they wanted to,” Garafolo told Pac Sports host Jason Pac Puckett on Friday’s weekly “Mike Garafolo Show” (courtesy of Steelers Depot). “They increased it substantially from the offer they made in the spring. My report is that they’re pretty much in agreement on the first three years of the contract, but that’s usually the tricky part – the guarantees, the cash flow, the APY in the first two years, the annual average and what Aiyuk wants … is to make an adjustment in the final year of the contract, which is not guaranteed.”
“That year is non-guaranteed, and we’ve seen a lot of wide receivers and agents put a lot of money into last year’s salary to inflate their annual averages. I don’t see a need for a more meaningful adjustment to that year, but it’s still non-guaranteed and something the 49ers can give up. That’s where the conflict is now. I’ve called it uncomfortable and contentious at times, and I think it still is, but it’s really getting close to the end. That’s why the 49ers are saying, ‘We’re not going to trade him because we feel like we can still get this deal done.'”
Garafolo reported Tuesday that Aiyuk and the 49ers have exchanged contract offers within each other’s range and the 26-year-old wide receiver is waiting for San Francisco to make a final decision.
Garafolo’s latest report on Friday said the obstacle preventing the 49ers and Aiyuk from reaching an agreement has to do with an incident from last year.
General manager John Lynch appeared on KNBR 680 Friday morning and was asked why contract negotiations with Aiyuk have dragged on for so long.
“I wish I’d known,” Lynch told KNBR’s “Murph & Marcus” show. “I wish I’d known.”
Lynch also said both sides are trying to find a resolution to the situation.
“It’s been a long, difficult, tough process, a tough journey,” Lynch told Brian Murphy and Marcus Boucher. “We started this early on and for one reason or another we just weren’t able to get across the finish line. It’s frustrating. But communication with Brandon and his agent remains very good and we are trying to find a solution.”
“I’m always hopeful. I’m an optimistic person by nature, so I’m always hopeful that we’ll get there and that we’ll get there soon. We feel a sense of urgency to get him in. The season is coming up.”
The 49ers are reportedly working on a trade framework with the Pittsburgh Steelers to send Aiyuk to the Steel City, but it’s clear their preference is to work out some sort of deal with the former first-round draft pick to keep him in San Francisco.
If the 49ers and Aiyuk can find common ground on the final stages of a proposed contract, the situation could finally be resolved.
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