Kittle reacts to 49ers’ Aiyuk saga, offers silver lining to absence

Kittle reacts to 49ers’ Aiyuk saga, offers silver lining to absence originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers’ 2024 NFL season opener is less than a month away, and the team has yet to come to terms on a new contract extension with star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

After months of intensified reports, negotiations and cryptic social media posts, those closest to Aiyuk — including his 49ers teammates — ultimately just want one thing.

“Really for Brandon, it’s just I want what’s best for him,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said on a recent “Audacy’s The TK Show” episode (h/t Clutch Points). “And if he requests a trade, I hope that he gets to go somewhere that’s best for him.

“I have no bad blood with Brandon.”

Aiyuk remains under contract with San Francisco for the 2024 season on a deal that would pay him $14.1 million, but the 26-year-old is seeking a major pay increase.

The 49ers either can pay him or trade him to a team that would be willing to meet his contract demands, and teams that have reportedly had interest include the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns.

While Kittle — and the rest of the 49ers — certainly miss Aiyuk’s presence at practice, Kittle offered a silver lining to the receiver’s absence this summer.

“I love having him as a teammate, but the one benefit to him not practicing is a lot of younger guys are getting these reps,” Kittle said. “They’re getting important reps with the 1’s and [quarterback] Brock [Purdy] that they wouldn’t be getting otherwise. I’m not going to take probably any rookie over Brandon, I’m not going to do that.

“But the fact that now these young guys get these reps, it’s going to put them in a position to succeed if we can’t figure stuff out with Brandon, and they’ll be more ready for a season as opposed to just going with the 2’s and 3’s the whole time. It just kind of is what it is.”

If there’s ever a way to find some positives in a sensitive situation, Kittle is the one to do it.

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