John Lynch Says the 49ers will not Trade Brandon Aiyuk this Year

Suddenly, they love Aiyuk and are eager to keep him on the team. Funny how that works.

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) runs after a catch against New York Jets cornerback Michael Carter II (left) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

PALM BEACH -- Just a month ago, it seemed pretty clear that the 49ers wanted to trade Brandon Aiyuk.

But no team wants to trade for his outrageous contract while he's coming off a brutal knee injury, so the 49ers are stuck with him for now. Which means they're changing their tune about him.

Suddenly, they love Aiyuk and are eager to keep him on the team. Funny how that works.

Here's what general manager John Lynch said about Aiyuk on Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting.

LYNCH: "He went down there to Dr. Neal ElAttrache last week. I'm not going to get into timelines and all that, but he did very well. We're pleased with Brandon's progress. He has been working hard and has gotten good reviews from Dr. ElAttrache."

ME: "Do you expect him to be on the team this year or is that still up in the air?

LYNCH: "Oh yeah, I expect Brandon to be a part of us, yeah."

Q: Tomorrow is when you have to pay him the option bonus. Have you had conversations with teams?

LYNCH: "There's probably spillover from last year when we were going through his contract thing and a number of teams became interested in Brandon. People called, you always take calls from folks, but we've always been interested in Brandon being part of the Niners. We made that decision when we signed him. It's good to hear that he's tracking well with his progress. He's working really hard to do so, and I expect fully that Aiyuk will be a part of us moving forward."

Q: He just signed a big extension seven months ago. When you were asked about him at the Combine, you dovetailed into cash spending. Is there a regret about this contract?

LYNCH: "No, there's no regret. I didn't know that I dovetailed at the Combine. We loved Aiyuk as a football player. We did when we drafted him and we're excited to move forward with him."

MY TAKE: Of course there's regret. Kyle Shanahan was the only person in the organization who wanted to give Aiyuk $30 million per season last year. Now, the 49ers have had to part ways with Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward and Talanoa Hufanga because they paid Aiyuk instead. And if a team would take his contract off their hands, he'd be gone in an instant.

What is Lynch supposed to say?