Deebo Samuel on Brandon Aiyuk: I don't see him leaving
49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk is heading into the last year of his rookie contract and said in the aftermath of losing Super Bowl LVIII to the Chiefs that he’d like to stick with San Francisco “if that’s the right move.”
General Manager John Lynch said last week during the scouting combine that the organization would like to keep Aiyuk "around for a long time."
Aiyuk’s teammate Deebo Samuel would like the same thing. And he said this week during an interview on the "Up and Adams" show that he doesn't think the 49ers will let Aiyuk out of the building.
“Yeah, I love that guy. I don't see him leaving, though,” Samuel said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “I don’t see him leaving.”
Samuel recently went through his own contract negotiation before the 2022 season, so he’s told Aiyuk some of what to expect.
"If you look at his numbers from when [Aiyuk] got to the league and now, it's always a different type of leap," Samuel said. "And so, like I told him, I said, 'Hey, man, you put yourself in a position to be where you want to be.' He's up for a new deal and things like that.
"And I just told him, because I've been through it, it's not going to be all fine and dandy like you think it's going to be. You've got to stay the course. You done did everything possible that you did for you to be in a position that you be in, and just let everything play out."
Aiyuk has eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons. In 2023, he caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards with seven touchdowns. He was named a second-team All-Pro for his performance.
