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Lynch made two other points clear: The 49ers are not currently in trade discussions with other teams and are open to allowing Aiyuk to play on his fifth-year option. There were reports of the Jacksonville Jaguars' interest in Aiyuk and the Pittsburgh Steelers' willingness to pursue a trade.
RELATED 49ers actively negotiating with Brandon Aiyuk, not discussing trades, says John Lynch
When asked if Aiyuk would be open to playing on the fifth-year option, Lynch said, "We'll see. You'd have to ask him that."
In response to Lynch's comments, Aiyuk shared the following on Instagram.
WR Brandon Aiyuk's reaction to John Lynch's latest comments about the #49ers being in active negotiations with him, not discussing trades, and being willing to let him play on the 5th-year option? pic.twitter.com/JbEJle0Vsy
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) March 25, 2024
It's unclear if Aiyuk is responding to all of Lynch's remarks or just one specific aspect.
"[W]e have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done to get something done, and it takes two sides," Lynch told reporters. "So, can we do that? We'll see. There's a number of different directions that it could go, but we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player. We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we're going to work towards making that a reality."
With the team-exercised fifth-year option, Aiyuk is set to earn $14.124 million in 2024 if he agrees to play without a contract extension. Obviously, that would not be desirable since any injury this season might impact his value next year.
San Francisco has a vested interest in signing Aiyuk to a long-term deal. In addition to retaining last season's leading receiver and one of the team's top players, the 49ers can reduce Aiyuk's salary cap hit this year with a new contract.
