SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers threw a hand out to Brandon Iuk on Wednesday in the most dramatic twist to this melodramatic impasse. Then the bell rang. Expectations were sky high.
Ayyuk will come to training or not?
“We’ll see,” general manager John Lynch said at a news conference 20 minutes before practice began. “I think you’ll see right with me. I know he’s here today. That’s the expectation.”
So camera crews and reporters took to the field to see if Iuk was participating in his first 49ers practice since the Saturday before the Super Bowl last February. Earlier, head coach Kyle Shanahan and Lynch made it very clear that they were no longer going to tolerate Ayuck’s claims that he wasn’t healthy enough to practice, and team doctors announced that he had been cleared. His “hold-in” — going to meetings to avoid fines but not practicing to protest the lack of a new contract — is essentially over in the 49ers’ eyes. He had to train or face the consequences.
At the beginning of the session, the players stretched, jogged, and then practiced. Everyone scanned the scene. Ayuk is not present or taken into account. No contractual agreement was reached. In any case, IUC didn’t buckle under the increased pressure of the 49ers to start coaching.
Quite frankly, there seemed to be more signs of a pending split than any immediate progress.
“At some point, you’ve got to play,” Lynch said before the no-show, summing up the frustration of the moment.
But he added: “I’ve seen these things get worse before and they can change quickly. It gives you hope. We’ve been in situations like this before and those things can be quickly forgotten.
Still, there’s no doubt the 49ers set Wednesday as an entry point. And a logical one. I’ve been critical of the 49ers’ handling of the IUC situation, but this moment was inevitable. The 49ers will not be able to keep Ayuk on the active roster without practicing as they head into their Sept. 9 regular-season opener against the New York Jets. If he doesn’t make it to himself in week 1, they definitely won’t pay his game check. And to get themselves in a position to cut him off, they had to initiate drastic measures.
Will Ayuk be reprimanded for missing training? “I’ll deal with it when it happens,” Shanahan said before the session, “if it happens.”
Shanahan was clearly joking when he talked about IUK on Wednesday, and that mood couldn’t have improved after seeing IUK skip practice. According to CBA rules, the 49ers can fine IUC $6,403 for the first occurrence of a missed practice, meet or curfew, then $11,206 for the second occurrence and $16,009 for the third occurrence. The maximum penalty per day is $45,769. After several fines, 49 people could be suspended by the Ayuk.
I suspect the 49ers have already fined IUC for missing Wednesday. And they may be days away from suspension. I’m not saying bridges will be burned once, if that happens, but we can smell the smoke.
The whole point, though, is that the 49ers want Iuck to practice and have him play in games. Without him, they are a poor offense and team. They courted him by trading with several teams, but Iuk declined those options and the 49ers have resumed contract negotiations. They have made several contract offers. I think maybe the 49ers were too aggressive with their financial offers in the face of an exploding wide receiver market this year, or maybe they realized how bad this was going and traded up in April. If this ends in divorce, they will mess it all up.
But even a few days ago, a deal seemed possible. Almost expected. But nothing happened. And on Wednesday came Kaingaryam and no-show.
In a way, whether it’s a coincidence or not, the 49ers pushed Iuk to be an official holdout alongside All-Pro tackle Trent Williams, who is away from team headquarters seeking a new contract. It actually cools the temperature down a bit, at least temporarily. If he’s a holdover, Iuk could go on a reserve list (along with Williams) and not count against the roster limit. The 49ers won’t have to suspend him to avoid paying a game check because he won’t be eligible for one.
And the 49ers didn’t have to see Ayuk the way they saw him throughout camp. They don’t have to wonder if they’ll be on video standing next to him or shaking his hand during practice. Out of sight, out of their personal space. That’s part of the reason the Williams situation is so quiet, and why Shanahan and Lynch are so optimistic about getting Williams back in camp within the next few days.
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But the 49ers still have to come to terms with Ayuk or try to force him to play on his $14.1 million contract for this season. If no deal is in place soon, it’s safe to assume Iuk will at least miss the first few games, report in time to play six games and be eligible for free agency next season. The 49ers could still hold onto his rights by signing the franchise through 2025, but at that point, is it worth continuing the relationship?
It’s a bumpy road, but probably most likely at this point. An even more vexing question for 49ers fans: Considering the 49ers and Aiyuk are nothing more than $10 million in guaranteed dollars, are the 49ers cheap and short-sighted right now? Jedd York obviously made a huge amount of money on this list, but that’s what happens when you’re trying to win a Super Bowl. Are the 49ers not willing to do what it takes to give themselves their best shot? Are they more interested in winning contract negotiations than winning playoff games?
“First of all, I don’t think you can ever make the assumption that you’re ready for a Super Bowl,” Lynch said. “You have to earn every year. Nothing is given in this league. We have a very talented team, we have a very proven team that has won a lot of games. But this is a new team. We love our team. We feel we have improved.
“Yes, this team has never been short on resources. Since we’ve been here, we’ve been one of the biggest spenders in the league. I think there’s a reason for that. We’ve got a lot of good players. Whether it’s through the draft or through trades, our acquisition of talent has worked. And the result has worked. , we have a lot of great players … and that’s a good thing, but that’s what makes things difficult for us.
At a time when they should be feeling good about the season, the 49ers now have several challenges. Instead, they’ve got a budding contract meltdown that could make for a less talented team. Or there may be two dissolutions. It was the biggest administrative challenge they had ever faced. On Wednesday, they tackled that by issuing their own challenge to Brandon Iuk, who hasn’t blinked for the time being.
It was very dramatic. It was inevitable. It was understandable. But like everything else in the last few months on this issue, it got them nowhere.
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(Photo by Brendan Iuk: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
