With the start of the 2024 NFL season just weeks away, the San Francisco 49ers have yet to sign Brandon Aiyuk to a new contract.
As a result, it turned plenty of heads when Aiyuk cheerfully greeted 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan with a massive hug earlier this week.
Considering the friendly interaction between Aiyuk and Shanahan, many took it to mean that the star wide receiver was on the verge of signing a new deal. But according to Shanahan, the excitement surrounding his hug with Aiyuk has been much ado about nothing.
“That’s just usually how we greet each other, honestly,” Shanahan said, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “You guys would see maybe a lot more hugs in here if we had a film for you guys, but we’re not on Hard Knocks. We saw him on the field. He hadn’t been on the field a lot. We walked by each other and it’s usually how we greet each other. Bro hug, nothing more, nothing less. Thank you.”
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan on the hug he exchanged earlier this week with Brandon Aiyuk that garnered national attention: “That’s just usually how we greet each other, honestly. You guys would see maybe a lot more hugs in here if we had a film for you guys, but we’re not on Hard… pic.twitter.com/VR1f6Qs503
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2024
At this point, it appears the 49ers and Aiyuk are still apart on a deal, with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reporting that talks between the two sides haven’t “intensified.”
“The situation has gotten really sticky,” Fowler wrote Saturday. “The receiver market ballooning into the $30 million neighborhood has complicated talks. The 49ers have not shown a willingness to pay Aiyuk what he thinks he’s worth, and negotiations hadn’t intensified lately, last I had checked.”
At this point, it will be interesting to see whether the two sides are able to reach a new deal, with the possibility still existing that San Francisco could trade the Arizona State product.
