Brandon Aiyuk of the 49ers received a stern message from John Lynch at the stage during the NFL draft combine on Tuesday in Indianapolis: We want you to stay put. It should go without saying, but it’s unclear if Lynch and the 49ers can truly make that happen given the limitations on their compensation structure.
It’s also unclear if Aiyuk intends to remain in San Francisco at all.
Let’s begin with Lynch’s remarks made during the combine, whereby he recognized the 49ers’ “difficulties” while simultaneously emphasizing the team’s track record of signing players.
According to Pro Football Talk, Lynch stated, “We have some challenges.” “We’ve awarded a lot of our talented players, who are many. We have a lot of respect for Brandon, who is among my favorite people in our facility because of the way he plays the game. He is an opponent. He is a fighter. Because of the positions his body can assume, he plays with such physicality and grace.
Additionally, he has a knack for making plays when they count, and as a franchise, he has performed admirably for us. We also seem to have a good history of extending the contracts of the players that are significant to us, and Brandon is someone we want to stick with for a very long time.
Brandon Aiyuk of the 49ers had a breakout year.
Lynch has many reasons to desire Aiyuk to move to San Francisco. With just 75 catches, Aiyuk amassed 1,342 yards last season, ranking second in the NFL in yards per catch (17.9). Throughout the season, he and quarterback Brock Purdy appeared to have a great rapport, especially with Deebo Samuel, the team’s other top receiver, out for two games and partial sessions of others.
Aiyuk won’t come cheap, though. It will be challenging for San Francisco to find enough space to retain Aiyuk, who turns 26 next month and is currently ranked among the NFL’s Top 5-10 receivers, even with the $30 million increase in the salary limit.
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