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San Francisco 49ers principal owner and chief executive officer, Jed York, spoke with the media on March 30 and shared his thoughts on the Brandon Aiyuk situation. Moreover, York’s remarks sounded as though the team isn’t just looking to cut ties and have Aiyuk leave for free.
Despite Aiyuk’s trade value being low, the Niners appear keen on holding onto the player in hopes of working out a trade with any team that wants him. Moreover, York left the door open for Aiyuk to remain in San Francisco, which was surprising.
After these remarks from the 49ers’ principal owner, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco shared his thoughts on the matter.
“If you want him now, come get him now,” Maiocco said on the March 31 edition of “The Rich Eisen Show.” “The 49ers aren’t in any hurry whatsoever to get rid of him, and to allow him to control his own path.
“I think that was probably the message Jed York was sending to the 31 other teams. If you’re interested at all, you would have to really wait a long time for him. So if you want him, come get him now and give the 49ers something in return.”
Jed York’s Comments on the Brandon Aiyuk Situation
The 49ers have improved their wideout group this offseason with the additions of Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. As a result, it led to York sharing his stance on the Aiyuk situation.
“Our job is to build a culture, and our job is to make sure that we bring talent into the building,” York said (h/t David Lombardi of the SF Standard). “BA is a very talented guy. I would love to be able to bring him back into the fold, and if I think he’s a valuable asset that other people would want, we’re going to make sure that we get value and bring talent into our building.”
Moreover, York was asked to elaborate more on being open to the idea of having Aiyuk back in the fold.
“I think anything’s possible, right?” York added. “We want to make sure that we have as talented a roster as possible. First and foremost, he needs to get healthy and be able to perform. I think once that happens, he’s a really, really good football player.”
49ers Insider Gives Update on Brandon Aiyuk
Amid this messy separation between the 49ers and Aiyuk, in which the team doesn’t appear to be willing to cut ties with him, Lombardi recently shared an update on the wideout’s future.
“I think [the 49ers] might hold him all the way through training camp so they don’t just give him away for free,” Lombardi said in a March 27 video on his YouTube channel.
“Don’t let Brandon Aiyuk get to Washington’s training camp. We know how important training camps are for wide receivers. When Brandon Aiyuk missed his in 2024, he wasn’t a good player to start the 2024 season.”
Moreover, the situation could become a little clearer after the NFL Draft. If there’s a team like the Washington Commanders, which has been speculated as a landing spot for Aiyuk, missing on wideout targets could force them to make a trade.
“If Washington is the team that wants to sign Brandon Aiyuk, and they still have major questions at receiver after the NFL Draft, they might start thinking he could help fix things,” Lombardi added.
“At that point, they could decide they need him in training camp. If the 49ers are holding him, then the question becomes how to get him there. The answer is likely a trade, and that could allow the 49ers to get something in return for Brandon Aiyuk.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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