Purdy, Aiyuk remain in contact amid 49ers receiver's OTA absence
Purdy, Aiyuk remain in contact amid 49ers receiver's OTA absence originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — Brandon Aiyuk has yet to work out a contract extension with the 49ers, but his teammate Brock Purdy on Monday shared the two have been in communication as usual.
The quarterback has reported to team headquarters for Phase 1 of organized team activities, while his top target from the 2023 NFL season has been absent.
“Shot each other some texts, just checking in, how he’s doing,” Purdy said. “[I’ve seen] him at the facility during the offseason when he’s coming in just to do some rehab stuff, I’ve run into him. Outside of that, I’ve told him I want the best for him and my love for him. That’s really been about it."
“I love BA,” Purdy said. “What we’ve done has been pretty cool, and I’m just thankful to have had the opportunity to play with him and throw him the ball and win games with him.”
Purdy, who is set to enter his own contract negotiations a year from now, understands the situation. For now, the play-caller simply will work with the receivers that have reported to the facility and stay true to his own throwing schedule.
The Pro Bowl quarterback will leave the business side of the game to 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan while refraining from making comments to his teammates about his own situation.
“We’re at the time of the year where obviously you don’t know,” Purdy said. “It’s out of our control to sign guys. For me, I do trust John and Kyle in terms of getting who [is] going to make plays and be the right fit for our offense.
“My job as a quarterback is trusting in those guys to get the right guys, and to play, execute and win. Obviously, it’s a business as well.”
Purdy and Aiyuk have been incredibly productive together on the field, with the receiver pulling in a personal-best 75 of his 105 targets for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.
The pair’s 70.5-percent completion rate was second only to Purdy and Kyle Juszczyk, who caught 14 of his 17 targets for an 82.4-percent completion rate in 2023. Purdy obviously wants the team’s top receiver to report to Santa Clara but also wants the best for his favorite target.
“At the end of the day, BA has been a brother to me,” Purdy said. “I want the best for him, and we are at that time of the year where negotiations happen and the business side kicks in. As of now, I’m throwing with the guys that reported for Phase 1 of OTAs and throwing routes on air.”
For now, Purdy shared he does not yet have any extra throwing sessions planned with Aiyuk or any of his other receivers during the offseason. But that might come later when the team breaks during the summer after mandatory minicamp.
“Obviously, I’m on a schedule with my throwing program being here," Purdy said. "If he wants to come, great. I’d love to throw to BA. But outside of that, [I] don’t really know.”
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