SANTA CLARA — Brandon Aiyuk, the proud owner of a lucrative contract extension worth a maximum of $120 million, expects to be in the lineup and without limitations when the 49ers open the 2024 season against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
“Ready to go,” Aiyuk said Tuesday in his first meeting with the press since ending a prolonged “hold-in” over a contract extension.
Aiyuk was on the field and practicing with his teammates during a brief “bonus” practice. The 49ers will take Wednesday off, then begin preparations in earnest to face the Jets before a national television audience at Levi’s Stadium.
The negotiations included a trade request and potential deals with Cleveland, New England, and Pittsburgh, which were rejected by either Aiyuk or the 49ers.
But like Deebo Samuel before him two years ago, the trade request was more of a negotiating ploy than a reality.
“Ultimately, yeah, I wanted to be in this position I’m in right now, standing here, talking to y’all,” Aiyuk said. “Every day was different. It’s negotiation. Just following my heart, myself each day, that led to here today.”
While teammate Trent Williams was silent during his holdout, which concluded Tuesday, Aiyuk was at times silent and other times posting messages of discontent on social media. He described it as “a squeaky wheel that has to be silent sometimes, know when to squeak, just that whole balance.”
While the fan base and the 49ers were frustrated, Aiyuk conceded, “I’m not going to lie. I made it a little bit more difficult than I needed to at the end.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t available to discuss Aiyuk’s contract, and general manager John Lynch confined his remarks to the team response to the shooting of rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
Unlike Williams, Aiyuk chose to “hold in” and participate in meetings while not practicing with the team.
“That was probably the hardest part about the whole thing,” Aiyuk said. “They’re suiting up, getting ready to go out and practice, and I’m not. At the same time, I was able to be in meetings, go through the stuff they got to go through and kind of still be involved. It was a little awkward, but it worked out how it needed to.”
Having been engaged in the offseason and with a new contract in hand, Aiyuk hopes to build on a season in which he caught 79 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 17.9 yards per reception.
“I feel light. I feel more ready than if it didn’t go this way,” Aiyuk said. “I’m super excited. Feeling refreshed, feeling renewed, coming with new energy. So excited to play football again.”
Aiyuk said he leaned on teammates who have been through contract issues of their own.
“I talked to George (Kittle). I talked to Bosa a lot, I talked to Deebo a lot, trying to figure out certain things, get their feel for certain things,” Aiyuk said. “Just being able to talk with them through the process was huge, but also just being able to see them, be around them every single day.”
Aiyuk welcomes the increased pressure that comes with a big contract.
“That was the reason why I wanted to get paid in such a manner, because that’s the type of player I believe I am, and that’s the player I want to continue to be,” Aiyuk said. “That’s the player I strive to be. So I think it’s more so putting that pressure on myself and (moving) forward pockets full.”
Lenoir eager to face Jets
Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir brushed aside the contract issues of his teammates in favor of a one-day-at-a-time approach and felt the return of Aiyuk and Williams was inevitable.
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“Week 1 has always been the focus,” Lenoir said. “There’s been a lot of stuff going on that we haven’t paid attention to. We’ve always been ready to work, coming in, getting better every day.”
As for the opener, Lenoir said, “I feel I’ve been waiting for this since the Super Bowl.”
NOTABLE
— Reporters were limited to a five-minute window before practice during which the 49ers were warming up.
Among the players who were on the field with their teammates after missing time with injuries were running back Christian McCaffrey (calf), guard Aaron Banks (finger), wide receiver Jauan Jennings (oblique) and linebacker Tatum Bethune (unavailable).
