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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 the potential deal.
NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reported Friday, Aiyuk and the 49ers are on the same page regarding the first three years of the proposed contract, but the star wide receiver wants an amendment to a non-guaranteed fourth year.
“The 49ers feel like they’ve already given up enough and given up more than they wanted to,” Garafolo told Puck Sports host Jason “Puck” Puckett on Friday’s weekly “Mike Garafolo Show.” Steelers Warehouse“They made a big step forward in their offer in the spring. My report is that they are pretty much in agreement for the first three years of the deal, which is usually the hard part. That’s the collateral, the cash flow, the annualized return over the first two years, the annual average, and all Aiyuk wants is… an adjustment in the last year of the deal, which is not guaranteed.
“This year is never a guarantee and we saw a lot of receivers and agents put up big numbers last year to inflate the average for each year. It doesn’t seem like that’s exactly what we want from a more meaningful adjustment that year but it’s still not a guarantee and it’s something the 49ers can walk away from. That’s where the standoff stands right now. I’ve described it as uncomfortable and controversial at times. I think it still is but it’s really close to being done. That’s why the 49ers said ‘we’re not going to move and trade him because we feel like we can still get this deal done.’”
Garafolo reported Tuesday that Aiyuk and the 49ers exchanged contract offers that were in each other’s range, and that the 26-year-old is waiting for San Francisco to make a decision on one final clause.
Based on Garafolo’s latest report on Friday, the hurdle standing in the way of the 49ers and Aiyuk reaching a deal is related to last year.
General manager John Lynch appeared on KNBR 680 Friday morning and was asked why contract discussions with Aiyuk have dragged on for so long.
“I wish I knew,” Lynch said. “Murph & Marcus” produced by KNBR Show. “I wish I knew.”
Lynch also explained that the two sides are trying to find a solution to the situation.
“It’s been a long, hard, hard process and a tough journey,” Lynch told Brian Murphy and Marcus Boucher. “We started early and for some reason we couldn’t get to the finish line. That was frustrating. But communication has been really good with Brandon and his agent, and we’re trying to come to a resolution.
“I’m always an optimist. I’m an optimist by nature, so I’m always optimistic that we’re going to get there soon. I can tell you that we feel the urgency of it. The season is coming.”
While the 49ers reportedly have a trade framework in place with the Pittsburgh Steelers to send Aiyuk to the Steel City, their desire is clearly to work out a deal with the former first-round pick to keep him in San Francisco.
If the 49ers and Aiyuk can find common ground regarding the proposed contract, the situation may finally be resolved.
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