John Lynch's change in tone hints 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk is available for trade

There's been a significant amount of chatter this offseason around whether or not San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will remain in the Bay Area come fall.

Although there have been endless potential trade destinations proposed over the past few months, 49ers brass has maintained that team intends to keep Aiyuk in the building as the franchise negotiates a new contract with the 26-year-old wide receiver.

The contract negotiations have sputtered and stalled. Although Aiyuk reported to training camp on Tuesday, he officially requested a trade on July 16. With the Aiyuk situation shifting so quickly, it seems 49ers general manager John Lynch is slowly coming to terms with the reality that Aiyuk may not be on the Niners roster moving forward.

John Lynch seems less optimistic about retaining Brandon Aiyuk

In May, Lynch spoke on "The Pat McAfee Show" about how the Niners "absolutely" had conversations about potentially trading Aiyuk, but said that the team was "past that now." Lynch, who said he was doing everything in his power to keep the roster together, seemed determined to move forward with Aiyuk on the team.

When speaking with reporters following the team's training camp practice on Tuesday, Lynch seemed to leave room for the possibility that Aiyuk's trade request may eventually go through after all, even though it's not what the 49ers want to happen.

"Brandon's a big part of our team and we expect that he will be this year," Lynch said regarding the contract negotiations, calling it a "shame" they were unable to finalize a deal during the offseason.

Last offseason, while the team was engaged in negotiations with defensive end Nick Bosa, Lynch guaranteed that the team would get a deal done with the All-Pro pass rusher, who ultimately ended up with a record $170 million contract extension. Lynch was unwilling to make that same promise with Aiyuk.

"I did say that with Bosa, and I felt that way," Lynch said. "I think, again, no absolutes there. We fully intend on Brandon being a Niner moving forward. We're always open to listen to things, but like I said, we expect Brandon to be an integral part of our team like he has been, and we're excited about that."

Lynch noted that there's no set timeline in which the 49ers expect to get the Aiyuk deal done.

Aiyuk emerged as the team's top wide receiver in 2023, displacing wideout Deebo Samuel for the spot. He earned second-team All-Pro honors after finishing with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. He is currently set to play the 2024 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, which will earn him $14.1 million.