Latest Brandon Aiyuk admission is proof that he wasted everybody’s time with contract holdout

Brandon Aiyuk was officially reintroduced to San Francisco 49ers media on Tuesday as the recipient of a four-year, $120 million contract. After months of haggling over details, Aiyuk appeared to accept an offer that was available to him for weeks.

From the outside looking in, it sure feels like Aiyuk let this drag on longer than he needed to. There was an understandable gulf between the two sides when the offseason commenced, but if Aiyuk was comfortable at $30 million annually, there was no evident reason to let these negotiations unspool until late August.

Apparently, Aiyuk is the first to admit that he got in the way of a quick, amicable resolution. He told reporters that yes, he did make life harder than it needed to be in the weeks leading up to his new contract.

"I'm not going to lie,” Aiyuk said. "I made it a little more difficult than I had to at the end."

Brandon Aiyuk admits to wasting our time with prolonged contract holdout

Aiyuk made his displeasure public several times over the course of his holdout, even flirting with the Steelers on Twitter/X. He probably wanted more than $30 million annually when the offseason started — and especially after Justin Jefferson netted $36 million AAV — but Aiyuk also wanted to stay in San Francisco.

It was clear the Niners wouldn't go beyond a certain point, and it's even more clear that Aiyuk didn't have a preferable alternative lined up. We all wasted our time here.

This outcome was inevitable from the start. Yes, the Niners listened to trade offers, and Aiyuk even mulled over the possibility of joining Mike Tomlin in PGH. When push comes to shove, though, it's hard to pass up a guaranteed path to contention.

The 49ers are NFC title favorites on a yearly basis at this point and Brock Purdy has officially proven his mettle on football's grandest stage. With Aiyuk in tow and the full complement of Pro Bowl weapons on the roster, San Francisco is positively loaded. The road to contention would have been much steeper elsewhere.

At least Aiyuk is willing to admit his role in the proceedings, as hollow as it may seem after the fact. It's important to take accountability in the NFL. Aiyuk knows better than anyone why talks stalled so frequently, and he understands the nature of the business. We shouldn't expect lingering bad blood with the coaching staff or front office as a result.

The ramp-up period for Aiyuk will now be extremely condensed. The 49ers open their season on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers, who was almost a San Francisco QB once upon a time. It's a prime opportunity for Aiyuk to remind folks of his value while going up against elite defensive backs, such as Sauce Gardner and Michael Carter II.

It took a lot of patience from the 49ers front office to get this contract across the finish line, but it will all be worth it if Aiyuk can lead San Francisco's pass-catching corps for the next half-decade as expected. His connection with Brock Purdy, not to mention his youth, makes for a compelling building block.