There has been some chatter that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk could be playing out his final days as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, but fellow wide out Deebo Samuel refuses to believe it.
During a recent appearance on the Up & Adams Show, Samuel made his feelings on Aiyuk known and predicted that he will stay around.
“Yeah, I love that guy,” Samuel said, via David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. “I don’t see him leaving, though. I don’t see him leaving.”
Aiyuk is coming off of a fantastic 2023 campaign in which he played 16 games and hauled in 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, especially himself as the team’s clear No. 1 receiver.
However, he is entering the final year of his deal, and with the 49ers having some financial constraints, it has caused many to wonder if San Francisco will end up trading him.
Aiyuk himself didn’t seem to claim any seriously loyalty to the Niners when asked about his future with the club after its Super Bowl loss last month, which could create a messy situation when it comes time for the 49ers to try and negotiate a long-term deal with him.
Samuel understands this.
“If you look at his numbers from when he got to the league and now, it’s always a different type of leap,” Samuel said. “And so, like I told him, I said, ‘Hey, man, you put yourself in a position to be where you want to be.’ He’s up for a new deal and things like that. And I just told him, because I’ve been through it, ‘It’s not going to be all fine and dandy like you think it’s going to be. You’ve got to stay the course. You done did everything possible that you did for you to be in a position that you be in, and just let everything play out.'”
Aiyuk, who played his collegiate football at Arizona State, was selected by San Francisco with the 25th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
After a couple of solid seasons to begin his career, the 25-year-old broke out in 2022, catching 78 passes for 1,015 yards and eight scores. He then took his game to another level this past season.
We’ll see how much longer Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk can remain teammates.
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