Chris Unger/Getty ImagesDon't believe everything you hear on TikTok.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bradon Aiyuk turned heads Monday when he posted a TikTok in which he told Washington Commanders quarterback and former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels "they don't want me back."
It led to speculation he was referring to the 49ers and his ongoing contract discussions, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the team does want him to stay.
NFL on ESPN @ESPNNFLBrandon Aiyuk says the 49ers "don't want me there."<a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamSchefter</a> says San Francisco does want him, just not at the price he is looking for 👀 <a href="https://t.co/BOeijWf8s4">pic.twitter.com/BOeijWf8s4</a>
"Having spoken to the Niners multiple times, multiple Niners people throughout the course of the offseason, every single one of them said they wanted Brandon Aiyuk back," Schefter reported Tuesday.
"... They absolutely do want him there. They just don't want him there at the price that he's looking for right now."
Aiyuk has one more year remaining on his contract, so there is a level of urgency with the timeline.
That San Francisco would want him back at the right price is anything but surprising. After all, he is just 26 years old and coming off a dominant individual season that saw him finish with 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Arizona State product is a major reason the 49ers reached the Super Bowl and part of a loaded offense that also features Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle.
NFL @NFLBrandon Aiyuk = route running aficionado 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/LZwG14PgBA">pic.twitter.com/LZwG14PgBA</a>
However, the whole price disagreement is quite an important detail when it comes to contract negotiations.
And things haven't gotten easier from the team's perspective as the negotiations dragged on considering Justin Jefferson reset the market at an average of $35 million per year this offseason with the Minnesota Vikings. That's not all, as A.J. Brown (average of $32 million per year), Amon-Ra St. Brown (average of $30 million per year) and Jaylen Waddle (average of $28.3 million per year) also came to terms on notable extensions.
It's a good time to be a talented wide receiver looking for a new deal and a bad time to be a front office looking to save money in negotiations.
Aiyuk's negotiations have been in the headlines throughout the offseason with trade rumors around the draft, his agent denying there was a trade request and the wide receiver himself appearing to criticize comments from general manager John Lynch.
He already skipped San Francisco's mandatory minicamp and didn't participate in the team's offseason program. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Monday that talks have "stalled."
The TikTok was yet another development, and things don't seem to be trending toward a quick resolution even if the team would like to keep him at the right price.
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