Lynch: 49ers feel 'urgency' to get Brandon Aiyuk deal done - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As the contract stalemate between the San Francisco 49ers and receiver Brandon Aiyuk continues and the start of the regular season approaches, the Niners are beginning to feel the squeeze to find a compromise with their star wideout.

«It's been a long, arduous, hard process, a hard journey,» 49ers general manager John Lynch told KNBR radio in San Francisco on Friday. «We started this early and for whatever reason haven't been able to get it across the finish line. That's been frustrating. But the communication has still been really good with Brandon and his agent, and we're trying to figure out a solution.

»I'm always hopeful. I'm an optimistic person [by] nature, and so I'm always hopeful that we get there and get there soon. I can tell you we feel the urgency to have him. The season is approaching."

The Niners/Aiyuk saga has now lasted longer than all of their previous contract extension negotiations except for what took place with end Nick Bosa last offseason. Bosa didn't sign until the week of the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Coincidentally, it's those same Steelers that have remained most prominent in potential trade talks with the Niners if a deal with Aiyuk can't be struck. Sources told ESPN this week that the Niners and Steelers have the parameters of a trade in place for Aiyuk but the Niners are still trying to achieve their preferred resolution with Aiyuk: a long-term contract extension to keep him in the Bay Area.

Asked why the negotiations with Aiyuk, which began before April's NFL draft, have taken so long, Lynch told KNBR with a laugh, «I wish I knew.»

Throughout the offseason, the Aiyuk situation has ebbed and flowed, with various moments of hope that a contract