The San Francisco 49ers' contract situations with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tackle Trent Williams have been hot topics of discussion. Whenever head coach Kyle Shanahan or general manager John Lynch speak to the media, they undoubtedly anticipate questions about their two star players—one holding in, the other holding out.
Williams did not report to training camp, holding out for a restructured deal, likely one that includes more guaranteed money since the remaining years on his current contract lack any guarantees.
Aiyuk is slated to earn $14.124 million in 2024 on a fifth-year option but seeks to become one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. While he prefers to achieve that with the 49ers, he's open to doing so with another team—potentially the Pittsburgh Steelers—if traded. He has reported to training camp but has not participated in practices or preseason games.
"I'd love to make some good radio, but unfortunately, guys, I think Kyle said it yesterday, there's really not a lot of updates," Lynch said Thursday morning on Bay Area radio station KNBR. "I can tell you that we've continued to be in communication. Just nothing to report there. Just going to leave it at that, and we'll continue to work on it.
"And the same thing with Trent Williams. No updates there. Good communication with both the players and their representatives, but just haven't made any breakthroughs. And so, we'll leave it at that and focus on the other 90 guys that are here and doing really great things on the field."
When asked if the 49ers would be willing to force Aiyuk to play on the fifth-year option, Lynch responded, "I'm not going to get in all the details. I think we're in a tenuous time where everything that is said can be examined and all that. So, we're just going to leave it at that. No updates, and continue to work.
"I know fans are eagerly awaiting, and the season's right around the corner. I can tell everybody this: we feel the urgency to get all our players back. We're very excited about our team, and those are two guys that have been a big part of us, a huge part of our success, so we'd like to have them both back in the fold."
When asked if there was a deadline to get a deal done with the two star players, Lynch responded, "Last month."
With Week 1 of the regular season quickly approaching, the 49ers are eager to have Aiyuk and Williams on the field at Levi's Stadium when they face the New York Jets on Monday, September 9. Lynch was asked if their availability for that game is in question.
"We're not there yet, but we're getting close," Lynch replied. "I mean, it's right around the corner. So we're going to continue to try to work things out, and we'll see where these things go."
Lynch concluded, "Everyone knows when the kickoff date is and we feel good about our team. Said it many times. We'd love to have those two in the fold, but we like our group and I'll leave it at that."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
