Christian McCaffrey is going to need some better media training from now on… after he awkwardly referred to Brandon Aiyuk as a ‘former teammate’ in an interview amid trade rumors regarding the 49ers wide receiver.
On Tuesday, while taking questions on the field during a preseason practice in Santa Clara, McCaffrey was asked about Aiyuk’s contractual situation amid reports that the 26-year-old is closer to leaving The Bay Area than signing an extension.
‘You know, that’s not part of my job, it’s not part of my position,’ McCaffrey said at first, according to footage released by Rob ‘Stats’ Guerrera and Kevin Krueger on X.
‘I think, obviously as a former teammate, or, teammate of his, in general, any teammate you have, you love, you respect them, you want the best for them.’
McCaffrey may have innocently slipped up, but the running back’s choice of words won’t do help Aiyuk, who is reportedly at crossroads with the 49ers’ front office.
Christian McCaffrey stunned many when he referred to Brandon Aiyuk as a former teammate
McCaffrey’s comment comes after Aiyuk refused to practice in training camp this preseason
With San Francisco unable to reach a long-term deal with Aiyuk, the 49ers have given the star receiver permission to talk to other potential suitors.
Now the question is whether there’s a team that Aiyuk wants to play for that is willing both to give him the lucrative contract he’s seeking and the 49ers enough compensation in a trade to make something happen. If not, Aiyuk might end up staying in San Francisco whether with a new contract or on a fifth-year option.
For now, the situation remains status quo despite swirling rumors about Aiyuk’s status.
‘I’m not going any specifics with offers, contracts, trades, anything like that. But what I can tell you guys is nothing has changed,’ coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. ‘A lot was out yesterday and stuff, but from the situation that we’re in with Brandon, nothing’s changed.’
NBC Sports Bay Area reported Monday night that the Niners have agreed to potential deals with Cleveland and New England that could happen if Aiyuk was willing to agree to a long-term deal with those teams.
Aiyuk reportedly would prefer a deal with Pittsburgh but the Steelers would also have to meet the 49ers asking price for one of their top players.
Coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t seem too worried about his star wideout’s contractual situation
Shanahan said he doesn’t expect a resolution to be imminent.
‘You always want it to be. Badly,’ he said. ‘But this stuff does take time. Every day I hope it gets resolved. But I have no timetable on it. It didn’t surprise me coming into this. … Hopefully it will get resolved sooner than later.’
Aiyuk skipped the entire offseason program, including a mandatory minicamp in June, as he waited for a lucrative extension to replace the fifth-year option on his rookie deal.
He reported to training camp in late July after making a trade request but has refused to practice. He is attending team meetings and is not being fined.
Aiyuk had been set to play on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1million this season and wanted San Francisco to make him the latest receiver to cash in with a long-term deal. Ten receivers before Aiyuk had signed contracts worth at least $70M already this offseason with Justin Jefferson’s four-year, $140M extension with Minnesota setting the top of the market.
Aiyuk was a crucial to the 49ers’ offense last season and played in Super Bowl LVIII in Vegas
Aiyuk had been 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.
His absence would be hard to overcome if San Francisco has designs on getting back to the Super Bowl and winning it this upcoming season.
‘Brandon’s a great player,’ Shanahan said. ‘It’s real hard to be better when you lose a great player. So we got to look at anything. We got to understand the situation we’re in and what that looks like. That does take time.
‘So hopefully it’ll all work out best for him and best for us in the long run.’
