Throughout the offseason, the San Francisco 49ers and 2023 second-team All-Pro wide receiver met multiple times regarding an extension for the 26-year-old.
The talks, unproductive throughout, became one of the biggest stories of the NFL offseason.
On Tuesday, the saga took another turn, as NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Aiyuk had told the Niners that he wanted to be traded.
The 49ers selected Aiyuk with the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s coming off a career-best season that saw him record 1,342 receiving yards, good for seventh-best in the league. Aiyuk’s seven touchdown receptions tied him for the 49ers lead alongside running back Christian McCaffrey and fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Since the trade demand is a direct result of the lack of a contract extension, it’s expected that Aiyuk would want an extension with his new team, as we’ve seen elsewhere this offseason when the New York Giants traded for Carolina Panthers pass rusher Brian Burns and immediately inked him to a five-year deal with the team.
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