It was only a matter of time.
After months of back-and-forth contract negotiations that went absolutely nowhere, San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has reportedly requested to be traded.
The 49ers and Aiyuk reportedly had a “good” in-person meeting at the end of June that seemed to point toward resuming negotiations after the Fourth of July. However, talks never picked up any more steam after that and Aiyuk’s growing impatience likely prompted his trade request.
San Francisco allegedly offered Aiyuk a deal worth $26 million per season, which would make him the eighth-highest paid WR in the NFL, but he rejected it in hopes of getting a contract similar to the four-year, $120M deal ($30M per year) the Detroit Lions gave Amon-Ra St. Brown earlier in the offseason.
The 49ers have shown no interest in paying Aiyuk, who’s set to play in 2024 on his $14.124M fifth-year option, like a top-five receiver.
Aiyuk’s contract saga has played out very publicly this offseason. In June, the 26-year-old wideout told former teammate and current Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels that San Francisco didn’t want him back.
He followed that up a week later by taking a shot at the team amid reports the 49ers had spoken to the Commanders about a possible trade. Aiyuk has also made it known if he doesn’t play in San Francisco next season then Washington is the team he wants to play for.
The 49ers also reportedly spoke to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers about trading for Aiyuk but nothing ever materialized.