49ers GM John Lynch Sidesteps Questions About Brandon Aiyuk

Weak.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's starting to look like Brandon Aiyuk won't play football for the second season in a row.

He's still on the Reserve/Left Squad List, and the 49ers seem willing to keep him there as long as they can. And they won't say why.

On Saturday, John Lynch addressed the local media on the first day of training camp, and brought up Aiyuk, but sidestepped follow-up questions.

"Brandon Aiyuk, I know you guys are going to have a lot of questions," Lynch said. "Brandon is on a left squad designation. As such, he's not on our 90-man roster. I personally, and we as an organization, are going to focus on the players that are here. And so, I don't have anything to say on that, anything to add to that. We wish him well. We wish his family well." 

A few minutes later, The Athletic's Matt Barrows attempted to probe further about Aiyuk.

"I know you wanted to avoid Brandon Aiyuk questions," Barrows said, "but as a reporter, I'm obligated to ask you a couple. Is the intention to keep Aiyuk on that Reserve/Left Squad list, A, and then B, you guys are playing the Washington Commanders in Week Six. He's been adamant that he's going, at some point, to join the Commanders. Is this part of your calculus that you're not just going to release a guy so that he winds up on the opponent's roster?"

“Yeah. I understand you’ve got to do your job," Lynch said. "I understand. But, you know, as I said at the start, he's on that list. That means he's not on our roster. And I'm going to focus on the guys that are and stand by what we've said already.”

Moments later, ESPN's Nick Wagoner made one fiinal attempt to get Lynch to say something concret about Aiyuk.

"One more unwanted question about Brandon," Wagoner said. "I know a couple weeks ago, he had mentioned you specifically had gone to visit him and he made it sound like it was unwanted. Can you clarify if that happened and what your intent or goal was in that situation?"

“Again, if I'm not going to answer one, I don't want to," Lynch said, "but I can tell you that at the forefront of our thoughts with any player is their well-being. I'll just leave it at that. We wish him and we wish his family well.”

Lynch had every right to sidestep the Aiyuk topic the way he did. He probably thinks he took the high road by saying nothing and wishing his family well. And he did, considering all the rude things Aiyuk has said about Lynch and the 49ers this offseason.

But the 49ers should hold themselves to a much higher standard than Aiyuk does for himself. If the 49ers intend to keep Aiyuk on the Reserve/Did Not Report List, which is their right, they should explain why. They should be transparent. Otherwise, they look like they're being petty, personal and vindictive.

It's one thing for them to make a business decision about Aiyuk and then explain it. They're under no obligation to do what's best for him. They're only obligated to do what's best for them. And if keeping Aiyuk on the Reserve/Left Squad List is best for them, they should say why.

The last time Lynch explained why he hadn't released Aiyuk yet, Lynch said he was trying to trade him. This was during the Annual League Meeting in March. Is he still trying to trade him? If not, what's the plan?

Until the 49ers explain what they're doing, the plan seems to be punishing Aiyuk for the sake of punishing him. And that seems beneath the 49ers.