49ers GM hopes to get Brandon Aiyuk contract extension done sooner rather than later

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brandon Aiyuk is staying away from the San Francisco 49ers facility at the start of the offseason program as he seeks a lucrative long-term contract.

That doesn’t mean that the 49ers don’t believe he will be part of the team when the season starts. General manager John Lynch is hopeful of getting a deal done to keep Aiyuk in San Francisco for several more seasons.

“I’ve communicated on many occasions our wish and our wish is that he’s here and a part of the Niners for the rest of his career,” Lynch said Monday. “We’re working through that.”

Aiyuk is set to play on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season and wants a long-term contract that would pay him significantly more money based on his production so far in his career. Several of the top receivers have contracts in the $25 million a year range.