Fred Warner: 49ers need players like Brandon Aiyuk

Linebacker Fred Warner often brings intensity to the practice field, pushing himself and his San Francisco 49ers teammates to reach their full potential. Warner thrives on this competitive fire, believing it's a key factor that makes the 49ers contenders each season.

You may recall an incident between Warner and Brandon Aiyuk a couple of years ago when the linebacker purposely challenged the receiver to bring out his best. The situation escalated to the point where the two nearly got into an altercation on the practice field.

"I'm not backing down, (Warner's) not backing down," Aiyuk said at the time, putting the incident behind him. "But at the end of the day, that's my brother when we go back in the locker room. That's my brother when we leave."

Two years later, Aiyuk has emerged as one of the best players on the team. He is due for a contract extension, and the negotiation process has not gone as the wide receiver had hoped. Although Aiyuk reported to training camp last week with Warner and the rest of his teammates, he has refrained from participating in practices as he "holds in."

Warner joined Bay Area radio station KNBR this week and emphasized that Aiyuk embodies the competitive spirit the 49ers need to succeed.

"Brandon is as competitive of a competitor as it comes, and that's why I love him," Warner said. "I love having him on our team, and the things that he's brought to that offense. And everything that he does, his route-running ability, the ability to block in the run game, and just the tenacity, that's the type of stuff we need throughout the team on offense, defense—guys who are tone-setters, guys who have that competitive fire.

"And that's honestly just the Forty-Niner way. That's what we've instilled here as a culture."

Aiyuk is coming off his best season as a pro, recording a career-high and team-leading 1,342 receiving yards and finding the end zone seven times during his 2023 campaign. He has surpassed the 1,000-receiving-yard mark in each of the last two seasons and has cemented himself as the 49ers' top wideout.

Aiyuk reportedly seeks a contract that would make him one of the NFL's top-paid receivers, likely in the ballpark of $30 million annually. The 49ers' last offer was reportedly in the range of $26 million annually, with the team showing no signs of budging. Aiyuk is slated to earn $14.124 million on a team-exercised fifth-year option in 2024.