A star player for the San Francisco 49ers has spoken out in support of Brandon Aiyuk getting the money he deserves.
Recent conversations regarding the 49ers have been less about their dominant 2023 season and more about the Brandon Aiyuk contract negotiations.
A key part of the team's offense, Aiyuk is asking for the same amount of money as other wide receivers of his caliber. However, San Francisco has been resistant, leading to Aiyuk reportedly asking for a trade.
Despite the tensions between Aiyuk and the 49ers organization, his teammates stand by him. This includes All-Pro tight end George Kittle, who has played alongside the wide receiver for four years. In an appearance on the "The Insiders" podcast with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Kittle opened up about Aiyuk getting the money "he deserves."
"Aiyuk's just a phenomenal football player," Kittle said. "He does everything you want him to do as a wide receiver, including taking touchdowns from me once in a while, which I'm totally OK with. But he's just such a dynamic receiver and he's just such a very important part of our offense.
"So, yes, getting Brandon Aiyuk the money that he deserves -- I hope nothing but the best for him. There's, unfortunately, not much that I can do to help put with that, except just cheer him on from the sidelines and hopefully we figure something out because he's one of my favorite teammates I've had."
Since Aiyuk has a year remaining on his contract, it's unlikely that San Francisco will be in any rush to meet his demands. Still, it cannot be denied that he is an integral part of the 49ers offense.
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