NFL insider feels new deal between 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk is imminent

Albert Breer is thinking the quiet between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers is a good sign that a contract extension is just around the corner.

After what seemed like a whirlwind of rumors and speculation surrounding wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and his immediate future with the San Francisco 49ers, things have gotten awfully quiet.

Perhaps it's due to the fact the 2024 preseason is upon us, and the Niners actually played a game over the weekend, falling to the Tennessee Titans out in Nashville, a game in which Aiyuk and most of head coach Kyle Shanahan's starters didn't play.

Or, possibly, it could be an indication that a resolution is just around the corner.

San Francisco gave Aiyuk permission to check in on his value by exploring trade options around the league. According to multiple reports, the 49ers had the framework of a trade with both the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, but Aiyuk reportedly rebuffed both deals by saying he wouldn't sign an extension with either team.

Then, the Pittsburgh Steelers were apparently a hot destination, but the Niners weren't willing to accept whatever the Steelers were willing to give up for Aiyuk, who would have been happy to go there.

So, the impasse.

However, one notable NFL insider feels the recent quiet surrounding trade talks could actually indicate San Francisco is now getting close to finalizing a deal with the disgruntled receiver.

Albert Breer: 'The Niners knew what they were doing'

A team ready to win a Super Bowl now has little reason to trade one of its best assets, which stood in contrast to the notion the 49ers would actually trade Aiyuk.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, in his most recent MMQB column, felt as if the Niners didn't mind playing hardball with Aiyuk here and took a calculated risk that facilitating a trade wouldn't be agreeable to all three of the parties involved:

"The Niners knew what they were doing when they gave Aiyuk the chance to go shop himself to other teams. Their bet, on a player they’ve really wanted to keep, was simple—it’d be tough to find a team with football circumstances nearly as good as the ones he already has willing to offer him what he wants.

Thus far, it looks like San Francisco was right."

The Pats are arguably the furthest AFC team away from a Super Bowl, while Pittsburgh is seemingly stuck on the fringes of being a playoff contender but nothing more.

San Francisco knew this while also knowing it wasn't going to accept below-value deals in exchange for Aiyuk, compounded by the fact he's still very much under contract for 2024 and could receive the franchise tag in 2025 and 2026.

Additionally, Breer pointed out how the 49ers have been down this road before, navigating standoffs with fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel in 2022 and then defensive end Nick Bosa in 2023.

However, in light of the relative quiet surrounding Aiyuk as of late, Breer feels it could be a sign the Niners are reengaging in extension talks:

"So San Francisco, which last moved in the contract negotiation back in May, is in position to strike a deal with a guy they’d like to pair over the long-term with Purdy, George Kittle in his 30s, and the football odometer starting to run high on the bodies of Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel. Things have gotten quiet the past couple of days, an indication that the Niners have finally moved off the spot they occupied in May."

Is a deal imminent? Possibly. Possibly not.

But, it could be an indication that Aiyuk's trade drama played itself out with no action taking place anywhere.

And an extension would be the next logical step in the ongoing saga.

Read more from Niner Noise