It’s just been one preseason game and Purdy’s team is already off to a “Brocky” start. Apparently, things aren’t going well in practice either. Sports Illustrated pointed out how Purdy missed 6 of his 12 throws in practice and was “disgusted” by the debacle. If only Brandon Aiyuk put on his gear and went to practice.

“Purdy can’t get Brandon Aiyuk back fast enough,” is what the column from Grant Cohn of SI said. Maybe the solution to get Aiyuk “back fast enough” is to give him an offer that he cannot refuse. Something the Green Bay Packers did with Jordan Love back in May of 2023. The hosts of First Things First have a pretty good idea about how to retain the disgruntled WR.

“I think he wants to stay. I think they want him to stay. I would imagine a good short-term solution is, give him a raise this year so it doesn’t affect the cap next year, let him become a free agent next season and you get all the upside of a guy who’s chasing a contract with a team that’s very good and he’s satisfied because he gets more money and you’re not killing your cap moving forward,” said the former NFL coach Eric Mangini.

While the contract situation doesn’t seem to culminate anytime soon, the good news is that Aiyuk might decide to stay with the Niners after all. He’s been spotted at practice two days in a row, but he hasn’t been taking any reps. So, why would he be at the training camp if he’s not interested in the Niners anymore? Maybe Kyle Shanahan and the Niners front office should look into giving him a hefty franchise tag.

Mangini’s quote takes us back to last year when the Packers did the exact same thing with Jordan Love. The Packers QB wasn’t happy with his contract situation at all, and the management gave him a 1-year extension of $22.5 million with $13.5 million in guarantees. That was Love’s first chance to command the Packers’ offense to the fullest and he passed valiantly.

Can the same thing happen with Brandon Aiyuk since there’s no news coming in from the Steelers’ side of things?

Are the Steelers still up to grab Brandon Aiyuk?

There might be a possibility that the trade has come to a halt. Maybe money is not the issue here. The issue might be the fact that the Steelers don’t have a receiver to offer to Brandon Aiyuk. They can’t let George Pickens go, can they? Also, while Aiyuk has been in training two days in a row, he’s been spotted in Niners’ gear. Why would he be so committed if he didn’t want to stay?

“If we’re at a confrontation and we’re kind of trending towards a breakup, I’m not going to wear a shirt that you bought me. I’m not going to wear something and start having a conversation when I see you, ‘Oh, you got me this.’ I’m not going to do that If I’m leaning towards walking away,” Greg Jennings shared on First Things First.

However, Mangini pointed out a flipside to the situation. The 49ers might have qualms with Brandon Aiyuk for not adhering to the protocol if he doesn’t wear their gear during practice. There are two sides to this situation: Aiyuk getting fined $50k for every missed practice, though those fines can be waived under his rookie contract. Another reason may be that he genuinely wants to stay with the San Fran team and is doing the bare minimum to keep the team on his side. Either way, the ball is in San Francisco’s court now.

However, Steel City fans are still hoping that they can strike a chord with the Niners and Aiyuk and get the wideout on their side. As stated before, Brock Purdy is already having problems without Brandon Aiyuk during practice. The fact that someone would describe Purdy as “disgusted” towards his intended target speaks volumes about Aiyuk’s presence in the team. Do you think the Niners can reunite the QB and his WR “back fast enough”?