Brandon Aiyuk, with a smirk, admits he made life difficult for 49ers in the end with contract holdout

San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk reflected on his part in the lengthy offseason negotiations and his holdout.

Brandon Aiyuk, with a smirk, admits he made life difficult for 49ers in the end with contract holdout

Brandon Aiyuk (Image via Imago)

The San Francisco 49ers had one goal in mind in this off-season, retain all the players who led them to the Super Bowl. One of the biggest roadblocks on this path for the Niners was Brandon Aiyuk, who had been in a holdout for months.

The WR finally signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension on Friday, bringing an end to the off-season drama. In the initial stages, Aiyuk considered offers from the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers came very close in negotiations for the wideout at some point before the Niners and Aiyuk agreed on a deal.

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Aiyuk admitted his role in the long and lagging off-season and his hold-out. He further stated that it became more difficult than it should have been.

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I'm not going to lie: I made it a little bit more difficult than it needed to at the end. I mean, it was like that for me. I'm not going to say the whole entire time, but for about the past month, I think we were pretty good.
Brandon Aiyuk said in his first comments after signing the deal in Tuesday’s presser

Aiyuk, despite the hold-out, did take part in the team meetings and discussions, shying away from practice. He pointed out that it felt weird to not suit up and join his compatriots on the field. 

That was probably the hardest part about the whole thing just because at that point you got the rest of the team involved. I'm here every single day; they're suiting up getting ready to go out to practice, and I'm not.
Brandon Aiyuk added

The WR was spotted on the field after the holdout for the first time in the No.11 jersey. Aiyuk has not been on the field for any practices, pre-season games, or mini-camp before arriving at that “bonus” practice before the New York Jets game on Monday. He has incurred a fine of $101,000 for missing out on the mini-camp.

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Trent Williams

Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams add energy to the 49ers locker room

The San Francisco 49ers have returned about 87% of their offensive snaps from last year’s unit. The unit set multiple records last year and held Top 10 positions in the offensive and defensive charts. The Niners finished second in the league in total offense with 398.4 yards per game. Three others, including Brandon Aiyuk, finished the season with 1000+ scrimmage yards.

Brandon Aiyuk
Brandon Aiyuk. (Image via Imago)

It is noteworthy that Aiyuk and Trent Williams ending hold-outs and joining the team has boosted the whole energy in the team. The Niners also received good news from Ricky Pearsall, who was earlier shot during an attempted robbery. WR Jauan Jennings admitted that the energy is buzzing in the building. He added that having the team back means they are locked and loaded for their first game of the season against Aaron Rodgers‘ New York Jets.

The consequences of the holdout and high pay might affect them in the future, but for the time being, all the San Francisco side is looking at is victory. They have reached the Super Bowl twice in five seasons, losing both times to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Niners really need a ring and quench the thirst of the long-awaiting fans.

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