SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Star receiver Brandon Aiyuk skipped a second straight day of practice after being cleared by San Francisco 49ers doctors to participate as part of his long-running contract dispute.
Aiyuk hasn’t participated in practice this entire offseason as he seeks a lucrative long-term extension or a trade with coach Kyle Shanahan citing a back injury as the official reason for what is essentially a contract “hold in.”
Shanahan and general manager John Lynch said Wednesday that Aiyuk had been cleared by doctors to practice and they expected him to be on the field. But Aiyuk has still not participated, subjecting him to daily fines.
According to the collective bargaining agreement, players are subject to fines for missing mandatory practices with those increasing to $16,009 a day by the third offense. Players can also be fined for missing meetings, walkthroughs or other mandatory sessions with the maximum for one day reaching $45,769.
Aiyuk did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, raising questions about whether he will play in the season opener against the New York Jets on Sept. 9. The Niners will take the weekend off before returning to practice next Tuesday.
Aiyuk had been a key part of San Francisco’s offense last season as he formed a great connection with quarterback Brock Purdy. Aiyuk had 75 catches and a career-high 1,375 yards last season with seven touchdowns as he earned second-team All-Pro honors.
The 49ers are also still without All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, who is holding out as he seeks an improved contract. That leaves the Niners without two of their most important players just 11 days before the opener.
“I feel like the feeling is next man up,” cornerback Charvarius Ward said. “We definitely want to have those guys here. I know they feel like they deserve something more. We just have to roll with the punches. … It’s hard to replace those guys but it has to be a team effort.”
The 36-year-old Williams is owed $20.05 million this season under the six-year, $138.1 million deal he signed in 2021.
Williams’ average annual value of just over $23 million has been surpassed by five offensive linemen since he became the richest player at the position when he signed the deal with Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell and Christian Darrisaw all getting deals this offseason worth at least $26 million a year.
San Francisco did get a boost with 2022 All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga taking part in individual drills as he comes back from a torn ACL last November. Hufanga was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Tuesday and is expected back in September even if it is unlikely he will be ready for Week 1.
But his presence provided a needed boost for the team.
“He’s always positive,” defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said. “He’s a good dude. But he’s also very smart and cerebral, always wanting to talk ball. The way that he plays, he’s a violent player too.”
NOTES: The 49ers made two additions to their practice squad, signing WR Terrace Marshall Jr. after the 2021 second-round pick was cut by Carolina and bringing back RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who was cut by San Francisco on Tuesday. The Niners needed extra bodies at running back with Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Isaac Guerendo (groin) dealing with injuries. … Among the other 49ers players not participating in the open portion of practice were DL Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), WR Jauan Jennings (oblique), LB Dee Winters and G Aaron Banks (pinky).
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