49ers All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has a requested a trade. Aiyuk has been clearly disgruntled this offseason, frequently taking to social media to air out his frustrations with the 49ers failing to meet the price he wants.
Now, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Aiyuk has officially requested a trade. In a tweet, Garafolo wrote:
"All-Pro WR Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade after an offseason of unsuccessful attempts to reach an extension.
"Despite a recent meeting, the Niners haven’t been willing to engage in negotiations since May so Aiyuk has respectfully asked out."
In recent weeks, Aiyuk -- in an interview with Ryan Clark -- intimated he would be content to be traded to the Washington Commanders, where his friend and former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels is the quarterback. Daniels was on hand for that interview.
Aiyuk also shared practice clips of the Commanders online in addition to a TikTok of him on the phone with Daniels, saying "they don't want me." He set up a meeting with the 49ers following the posting of that clip.
Where things stand with the 49ers is that Aiyuk is set to play out a fifth-year option worth $14.1 million if no deal is agreed upon. In the past two offseasons, negotiations with both Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa have come down to the wire. They have been protracted and ugly -- Samuel also requested a trade -- but got done. It's unclear if that will also be the case here.
However, ESPN's Adam Schefter pointed to both of those results with Samuel and Bosa, and reported that the 49ers have told all inquiring teams that Aiyuk will not be dealt.
Aiyuk finished last season with a 1,342 receiving yards and 7 TDs on just 76 receptions. That 17.9 yards-per-catch average was second in the NFL, only to George Pickens at 18.1. While Aiyuk's contributions have probably been underrated, the addition of rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall -- widely viewed as someone who can play from the jump -- decreases Aiyuk's leverage. It's an uncomfortable situation for both sides, but the 49ers have much more of the leverage.