San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan raised some eyebrows Thursday when he and team president John Lynch had a widely-scrutinized interaction with disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
The video from Thursday’s practice showed Aiyuk cordially greeting both Lynch and Shanahan in the midst of his ongoing training camp holdout. Depending on one’s perspective, the interaction suggested that either Aiyuk was closing in on a new contract or he was saying his farewells.
#49ers Brandon Aiyuk walks onto the field and headed straight to John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan 🤝 pic.twitter.com/JPdTzwDv92
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) July 31, 2024
Shanahan was asked about that on Friday and insisted that neither was the truth. In the coach’s mind, that was a standard greeting.
"That's usually how we greet each other. Bro hug. Nothing more, nothing less."
Shanahan downplays yesterday's interaction with Brandon Aiyuk and states there's no update on contract negotiations pic.twitter.com/U9Ltzcy6zP
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 2, 2024
“That’s usually how we greet each other. … He hasn’t been on the field a lot. Going by each other, that’s usually how we greet each other. Bro hug. Nothing more, nothing less,” Shanahan said Friday.
The coach added he had no updates on Aiyuk’s contract situation.
Niners fans are desperate for Aiyuk news. The star wide receiver wants a new contract and has demanded a trade, but did show up to training camp in spite of that. If you wanted to be optimistic, this could be taken as a sign that things are still cordial between the two sides, though it is not as if Aiyuk has dropped his trade demand.
Aiyuk caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns last season in what was his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. He is in the final year of his rookie contract and set to make just over $14 million this year.
