Kittle reacts to 49ers’ Aiyuk saga, offers silver lining to absence originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
THE 49ers 2024 NFL season opener It’s less than a month away, and the team still hasn’t reached an agreement on a new contract extension with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
After months of intensified reportingnegotiations and cryptic social media posts, those closest to Aiyuk – including his 49ers teammates – ultimately only want one thing.
“Really, for Brandon, I just want what’s best for him,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said on a recent episode of “Audacy’s The TK Show” (h/t Clutch Points). “And if he requests a trade, I hope he goes somewhere that is better for him.
“I don’t have any beef with Brandon.”
Aiyuk remains under contract with San Francisco for the 2024 season on a deal that would pay him $14.1 million, but the 26-year-old is seeking a big pay raise.
The 49ers could pay him or trade him to a team that is willing to meet the demands of his contract, and teams that have reportedly had interest include the Pittsburgh Steelersthe New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns.
While Kittle — and the rest of the 49ers — will certainly miss Aiyuk’s presence at practice, Kittle offered a silver lining to the receiver’s absence this summer.
“I love having him as a teammate, but the only benefit to him not practicing is a lot of younger guys are getting those reps,” Kittle said. “They are getting important reps with the Nos. 1 and [quarterback] Brock [Purdy] that they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. I’m probably not going to replace Brandon with any rookie, I’m not going to do that.
“But the fact that these young guys are now getting these reps will put them in position to succeed if we can’t work things out with Brandon, and they’ll be more prepared for a season than just going with the 2’s and 3’s all the time.
If there’s a way to find some positives in a delicate situation, Kittle is the one to do it.
