Brandon Aiyuk finally has a new contract with the San Francisco 49ers, and as with so many huge NFL stories, ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news Thursday.
But Aiyuk’s agent, Ryan Williams, later pushed back on Schefter’s reporting.
Schefter tweeted “Finally!!” while reporting that he — along with NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo — had learned the star wide receiver had ended his contract dispute by signing a “massive extension.” Schefter shared an image of Aiyuk and Williams enjoying the moment together in a FaceTime message.
Brandon Aiyuk and his agent @RyanWilliamsA1 right at the end of this saga. https://t.co/onE5snDv7I pic.twitter.com/auOxSVGcFL
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2024
Schefter later shared the reported details of the new contract.
“In the end, Brandon Aiyuk accepted the same deal that has been on the table since August. 10, per league sources,” Schefter posted on X. “His hold-in did not alter any part of his new four-year, $120 million extension. He took the same deal that had been there for the past three weeks. Hold-in over.”
Williams quickly followed up to clarify Schefter’s report.
“That’s factually inaccurate but the check still cashes,” he posted.
That’s factually inaccurate but the check still cashes. 😉 https://t.co/J7ZEeekbil
— Ryan Williams (@RyanWilliamsA1) August 29, 2024
The agent clearly seemed miffed at Schefter’s implication that Aiyuk and Williams essentially backed down in the contract impasse.
This isn’t the first time a report about Aiyuk’s contract drama raised questions. In July, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan called out a reporter who asked him how he would handle Aiyuk’s trade request. Earlier in August, Aiyuk turned to Instagram to respond to a report by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.
The drama even turned reporter against reporter, as San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mike Silver questioned Garafolo’s reporting on the issue.
