Aiyuk admits he made it ‘difficult’ on Niners

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After one of the most turbulent — and public — contract negotiations in recent memory, San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk doesn’t believe that any hard feelings between he and the team will linger.

When asked Tuesday if he and the Niners can move past the back and forth that led to the four-year, $120 million contract extension he signed on Friday, Aiyuk acknowledged the role he played in extending the negotiations.

“I’m not going to lie, I made it a little bit more difficult than it needed to at the end,” Aiyuk said in his first comments since signing his new deal. “I mean it was like that for me, I’m not going to say the whole entire time, but for about the past month I think we were pretty good.”

When the Niners returned to the field for Tuesday’s “bonus” practice in preparation for Monday night’s opener against the New York Jets, Aiyuk was in his usual No. 11 jersey and working back in his usual spot with the other wideouts. It was Aiyuk’s first practice with the team since the Friday before Super Bowl LVIII, a span of 207 days. Those days were largely marked by the strained negotiations between the team and Aiyuk that saw him take often to social media to air his grievances about not only how they were going but how long they were taking.

At various points in that time, Aiyuk attempted to apply pressure to the Niners to get a deal done.

In March, Aiyuk used his social media platform to use emojis translated to “money talks, bulls— walks” after general manager John Lynch insisted at the league meetings that the team wanted to pay Aiyuk. He stayed away from the team’s offseason program and also didn’t show up for the full-squad minicamp in early June, incurring $101,000 in fines.

Before San Francisco opened training camp in July, Aiyuk officially requested a trade then promptly reported to camp on time with the rest of his teammates and reporting that he was dealing with back and neck soreness that would keep him out of practice and prevent the Niners from fining him for not participating.

When asked about his willingness to exert some sort of leverage during the negotiations, Aiyuk didn’t shy away from it.

“A squeaky wheel has to be silent sometime and know when to squeak,” Aiyuk said. “(I was) just (finding) that whole balance.”

During his “hold in,” Aiyuk attended meetings and team activities but did not practice. On Tuesday, Aiyuk said it was strange to be there for everything else then watch his teammates suit up and go practice without joining them.

“That was probably the hardest part about the whole thing just because at that point you got the rest of the team involved,” Aiyuk said. “I’m here every single day, they’re suiting up, getting ready to go out to practice and I’m not … It was a little awkward, but I think it worked out how it needed to.”

For most of the hold in, both Aiyuk and the Niners were uncertain how it would all play out. Despite initial reticence, the Niners eventually began fielding trade offers for the star receiver and gave Aiyuk permission to negotiate contracts with interested teams.

Parameters of trades with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns quickly were put in place but Aiyuk rejected those landing spots. Another deal was close with the Pittsburgh Steelers but again neither the Niners nor Aiyuk really wanted to separate.

Throughout, Aiyuk said he had to “get my mind right” to a trade being a possibility. And though Aiyuk says it’s “easy” to say now, he does agree with the notion that he always wanted to remain with the team he grew up rooting for in his hometown of Rocklin, Calif., about three hours away from the team facility.

“I think I just had a feel for what I wanted,” Aiyuk said. “Not just in terms of money but in all those things (such as long-term team success and quarterback play) and ultimately, I wanted to be here. I ended up being here, so I’m happy. I’m good, I’m ready to go.”

With Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams back in the fold after the latter signed his own re-worked contract Tuesday, the Niners return about 87% of their offensive snaps from a unit that was near the top of the league in many major categories last season.

The boost Aiyuk and Williams provided was unmistakable in the locker room Tuesday afternoon.

“A bunch of energy in the building,” wideout Jauan Jennings said. “To have our team back just means everything and now we are locked and loaded ready to go for Week 1.”

For his part, Aiyuk said multiple times Tuesday that he feels “light” with the weight of the contract negotiations no longer hanging over his head. In terms of conditioning, Aiyuk said he will be ready to go against the New York Jets on Monday night after he gets three more practices this week, calling himself “super excited,” “fresh” and “renewed.”

Entering this season, Aiyuk is aiming to top his breakout 2023 when he finished with 1,342 receiving yards and was second in the NFL in yards per reception (17.9) and first in yards per target (12.9) on his way to earning second-team All-Pro honors.

Aiyuk also acknowledged there’s additional pressure to exceed that production now that he’s one of the highest-paid wideouts in the league.

“But that’s the reason why I’m going to get paid in a such manner,” Aiyuk said. “Because that’s the type of player I believe I am and that’s the player I want to continue to be and that’s the player that I strive to be. I think it’s more so putting that pressure on myself.”