Brandon AIyuk attends 49ers’ preseason finale in Vegas while in limbo

Wide receiver Brandon AIyuk walked into a football stadium today — with his still-teammates on the 49ers.

Unlike the 49ers’ preseason opener two weeks ago in Tennessee, Aiyuk made this trip to attend the preseason finale against the host Las Vegas Raiders.

Aiyuk will not suit up in what could have been his first time in a 49ers uniform since they lost the Super Bowl on that same Allegiant Stadium field Feb. 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Aiyuk walked into the locker room with fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel upon the 49ers’ arrival roughly two hours before kickoff, as first reported by Tracy Sandler of Fangirl Sports Network.

During pregame, Aiyuk remained in his all-black, non-workout clothes and mingled with Raiders coach Antonio Pierce on the sideline, according to CBS-5 San Francisco’s Vern Glenn.

Aiyuk also chatted with 49ers’ team chaplain Earl Smith, then Aiyuk joined Samuel in saying hello to Raiders receiver Devante Adams, and eventually Aiyuk took selfies with fans who had sideline passes, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan reported.

After requesting a trade a month ago, Aiyuk has not participated in any of training camp’s 19 previous practices, as part of a “hold-in” amid his contract stalemate. He was not seen at practice this week, after being an interested observer down the sideline for three practices the preceding week.

 

Neither general manager John Lynch nor coach Kyle Shanahan had updates regarding Aiyuk’s status during their respective KNBR 680-AM radio segments Wednesday and Thursday.

Although the 49ers granted Aiyuk and his representatives permission to seek a trade, potential deals with the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns were rebuffed, while a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers is reportedly just waiting on AIyuk’s approval if talks end with the 49ers. He remains under contract with the 49ers at a $14.1 million salary, or half of what he’s likely seeking in a new deal.

As for the 49ers’ other contractual matter, left tackle Trent Williams still has not reported a month into camp. His holdout cost him an additional $1.1 million Friday — equivalent to a regular-season game check — and that raised his total to $4.15 million in fines that can’t be reduced or waived, under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement for a contract signed in free agency.

Also noticeably absent for all preseason games is wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, the 49ers’ first-round draft pick. A hamstring delayed his entry into camp, then after a week of practice, he aggravated a shoulder injury that traced to at least the spring, post-draft practices.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mike Silver told KNBR-680 AM that Pearsall “has a shoulder thing that is now recurring and I think worrying over the long haul, something they knew about before they drafted him and were hoping wouldn’t be a thing.” Pearsall has conditioned on the side in recent weeks, and he showed now impingement while casually throwing a football and playing catch this week.

 

Originally Published: August 23, 2024 at 5:34 p.m.