Oh? Brandon Aiyuk was nowhere to be found at 49ers practice on Friday

I would love nothing more than for Brandon Aiyuk to be happy wherever he is playing football. The former first-round pick out of Arizona State by the San Francisco 49ers is in the midst of a contract year. He wants top-of-the-market money, even though he is arguably only a top-10 receiver in the game today. Still, that doesn't change the fact that he wants to get paid handsomely by somebody.

All the while, Grant Cohn of 49ers On SI pointed out that Aiyuk was nowhere to be found at training camp on Friday. There could be a plethora of different factors at hand here, but everyone is lathering themselves up into a frenzy over this. It is utterly maddening. Fans of franchises such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Commanders are hoping that Aiyuk gets traded over there.

Truth be told, nothing is ever easy when it comes to the 49ers' best players getting new contracts out of general manager John Lynch. This is not the first time we have been here—a marquee player of note wanting a new deal with the 49ers—and I'm not so sure it will be the last. Either way, we need some sort of resolution on this pronto. We all want this drama to go away, please!

All I know is Aiyuk makes the 49ers a better football team, and they need to go win a Super Bowl soon.

If they feel he is not part of their long-term plans, then they need to act swiftly and trade him already.

Brandon Aiyuk no-shows to San Francisco 49ers training camp practice

There is not much more to say that hasn't already been said. Aiyuk is a high-quality No. 1 wide receiver, but he is not in the same vicinity as what Justin Jefferson is with the Minneosta Vikings or what Ja'Marr Chase is for the Cincinnati Bengals. While he could improve the receiving corps for both the Commanders or Steelers if he were traded over there, he probably needs to stay with the 49ers.

This is because for better or worse, the 49ers are the better team with the higher upside for this season. Pittsburgh is a playoff contender in the deep AFC, while Washington had the No. 2 overall pick last spring for a reason. Yes, you may want to get Jayden Daniels another weapon, but he already has Terry McLaurin. As for Pittsburgh, the Steelers are just going to run the ball a ton for Arthur Smith.

Overall, we are within a minute to midnight before we need to get some resolution on the Aiyuk situation in San Francisco. Is he in or is he out for this season with the 49ers? I can point the finger at both parties here, but one would think that getting back to the Super Bowl and actually winning it this time would be a top priority for everyone involved. Too bad Kyle Shanahan shrinks in fourth quarters.

I want to believe we will have some update on the Aiyuk situation this weekend, but I have no idea...