A stoic Brandon Aiyuk stayed politely neutral about his 49ers future as free agency looms

(AP Photo/Doug Benc) ORG XMIT: NYOTK

The San Francisco 49ers might be fixated on defending themselves from a Super Bowl overtime rule controversy, but that’s only a short-term problem. To return to the big game, they’re probably going to need to have star receiver Brandon Aiyuk. And that’s no guarantee moving forward.

At his locker on Tuesday, Aiyuk was asked about whether he’d like to stay with the 49ers as his unrestricted free agency looms. One would think it’d be an easy decision for San Francisco to resign a 25-year-old Second-Team All-Pro. Plus, the 49ers could theoretically use a franchise tag on him if long-term extension talks don’t go well. But the 49ers already have a constellation of stars on their roster, putting them tight against the salary cap and making any personnel decisions less than straightforward.

Based on Aiyuk’s stoic, neutral thoughts about his future and winning a championship, he seems to understand that financial reality, too.

Brandon Aiyuk was asked if he hopes to stay with the #49ers. “If that’s the right move.” pic.twitter.com/6NDPagaeok

— Tracy Sandler (@TracyFGSN) February 13, 2024

None of this necessarily says that Aiyuk won’t return to the 49ers. He’s arguably their second-best player behind Christian McCaffrey and might have the highest upside. But you never know what’ll happen in the unpredictability of NFL free agency.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: A stoic Brandon Aiyuk stayed politely neutral about his 49ers future as free agency looms