No surprise as Brandon Aiyuk skips mandatory 49ers practices

This week marks the beginning of San Francisco 49ers mandatory minicamp, which means the entire team is expected to show up or be fined up to $101,716 for missing all three days of camp.

There was much speculation after OTAs as to whether two missing stars, namely running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, would show up for the minicamp.

And while McCaffrey did end up appearing after being rewarded by the 49ers with a new contract extension, Aiyuk, according to multiple reports, isn't in Santa Clara as minicamp begins.

It's not a surprise he isn't going to step foot on the practice field without a new deal. It is, however, a choice to not show up at all, rather than turning a holdout into a hold-in, like fellow receiver and then-contract disputee Deebo Samuel did back in 2022.

Showing up allowed Samuel to avoid the fines, unlike defensive end Nick Bosa, who held out for 43 days last offseason until he signed his contract extension just days before the season started.

As for what this tells us about the contract negotiations with Aiyuk and his representatives, it may be too early to tell. But it's pretty clear the receiver is trying to make his point well heard, especially in light of the massive contract extension the Minnesota Vikings gave to Justin Jefferson earlier this week.

For now, Aiyuk is not at the 49ers' facility, and while he is still under contract for next year on his fifth-year option, it appears this will be more like the Bosa situation than the Samuel one. And so, it would behoove the Niners to make a move to get him back in the building before training camp starts in late July.

Until then, all 49ers fans can do it wait it out. That's what Aiyuk appears to be doing.

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