San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk may have taken his contract negotiations public by posting a conversation with former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels to TikTok on Monday.
“They said they don’t want me back … I swear,” Aiyuk said on a FaceTime call with the Washington Commanders quarterback, who was the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The context of the conversation is unclear but appears to reference a contract stalemate between the receiver and the Niners.
Aiyuk captioned his TikTok post with: “Im laughing but im crying fr.”
Aiyuk is set to play on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season and wants a long-term contract that would pay him significantly more money based on his production so far in his career. Several of the top receivers have contracts in the $25 million-a-year range.
The receiver has held out of offseason camps and unfollowed the 49ers’ social media accounts amid the contract dispute.
Aiyuk was a key part of San Francisco’s offense last season as he formed a great connection with quarterback Brock Purdy. Aiyuk had 75 catches and a career-high 1,375 yards last season with seven touchdowns as he earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Aiyuk has 269 catches for 3,931 yards and 25 touchdowns in four seasons since being drafted 25th overall in 2020 but has taken off since Purdy became quarterback.
Aiyuk is in a similar spot to where pass rusher Nick Bosa was last year when he was looking for a new contract that finally came following a lengthy holdout that ended just a few days before the start of the regular season.
The 49ers coming to terms on a long-term deal with star running back Christian McCaffrey last week has not led to a deal getting done with Aiyuk.
When did Brandon Aiyuk play at Arizona State with Jayden Daniels?
Aiyuk is entering his fifth NFL season but crossed over with Daniels in 2019 with the Sun Devils.
Daniels took over as the starter as a true freshman, throwing for 2,943 yards and 17 touchdowns to two interceptions. He added 355 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
That season was Aiyuk’s second and final one at ASU. He piled up 1,192 yards and eight touchdowns as Daniels’ top target before entering the draft.
Daniels stayed at Arizona State for the 2020 pandemic season and into 2021, but as the roster talent withered, his passing totals fell short of his freshman year and his touchdown-to-turnover rate was an even 10-10. The quarterback added 710 rushing yards in 2021.
He ultimately transferred to LSU to play two more seasons and won the Heisman Trophy in 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
