San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said it’s been “frustrating” that he hasn’t found a resolution with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but he’s felt the “urgency” to retain him.
“It’s been a long, arduous, hard process, a hard journey,” Lynch said on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus” show Friday. “We started this early and for whatever reason haven’t been able to get it across the finish line. That’s been frustrating, but the communication still has been really good both with Brandon and his agent, and we’re trying to figure out solutions.”
He continued: “I’m always hopeful that we’ll get there and get there soon. I can tell you, we feel the urgency to have him, the season’s approaching, and we have ample time. The good news is Brandon is a really, really hard worker, he’s taking great care of himself this offseason, he’s in fantastic shape, but there’s things you have to do on a football field and getting yourself in there with our team.”
Aiyuk’s standoff has taken the NFL by storm. The receiver has been unable to see eye-to-eye with the 49ers on a lucrative contract extension, leading to rampant trade buzz.