With the culmination of their 25-22 Super Bowl LVIII overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Niners are definitely in their feelings a bit about the loss. But not only are the players in their feelings, but the tough loss seems to be effecting some of the players’ loved ones.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s girlfriend, Rochelle Searight, took it upon herself to inexplicably hint at a possible divorce between the Aiyuk and the Niners.
In a TikTok video on Monday, Searight seemingly talked out of turn on Aiyuk’s future with the team.
“This might have been the last day we touched foot on Levi’s Stadium …. because we might not he out here next season,” Searight said in the video as she picked Aiyuk up following Sunday’s heartbreaking overtime loss.
Aiyuk himself shared an odd message to his Instagram account saying …
“Don’t forget what got you there.”
Is Aiyuk Himself Hinting At A Departure From San Fran?
No one but Aiyuk knows if he was piggybacking his girlfriend’s comments, but the talented pass-catcher is heading into the fifth-year option of his deal. Meaning the team can either let him play out next season on that or sign him to a long-term extension. In wake of their second Super Bowl loss in five seasons, getting Aiyuk signed to a long-term extension should be a top priority.
The first-time All-Pro had the best season of his NFL career with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. His 17.9 yards per reception was good enough for second in the league behind Pittsburgh Steelers star George Pickens and his 18.1 YPC average.
Aiyuk’s friend and former teammate at Sierra College (JUCO), Draysean Hudson, even chimed in by seemingly calling out the Niners game plan in the Super Bowl on his Instagram account.
“This is the exact same reason we leaving San Francisco,” Hudson wrote. “Thank you 49ers for drafting my brother Wes are forever grateful. BA to Vegas.”
Hudson wasn’t done as he finished with this….
“Why does your All Pro have 1300 yard receiver have 3 catches in the Super Bowl.”
Folks close to Aiyuk speaking on his future in San Fran really isn’t a good look, especially with him still under contract for at least one more season.
Niners And Aiyuk Will Work Towards Extension
It’s highly unlikely the Niners will look to trade Aiyuk who’s become one of the better route runners in the league. While Aiyuk doesn’t get the notoriety that teammate and fellow wideout Deebo Samuel does, he’s the Niners’ best and most dependable wideout, meaning they’d be wise to get a deal done.
This is nothing new for how the Niners handle new deals for their players. They did the same thing with Samuel, who signed a new deal prior to the 2022-23 season, which would’ve been his fourth and and final season under contract.
With eight players already raking in at least $15 million per season, and Aiyuk at just over $14 million per season, it puts the Niners at $211 million of the expected $240 million cap space for 2024.
In order to give Aiyuk a quality extension and keep the rest of the roster intact they’ll need to allocate some funds.
But, keeping Aiyuk is worth some restructuring of other deals, and until then his girlfriend and friend need to keep quiet.
