SANTA CLARA – Organized team activities are going down on the 49ers practice fields outside Levi's Stadium.
This final phase of the offseason program stays voluntary, so fans shouldn’t be alarmed if key veterans are still training on their very own elsewhere or recovering from injuries sustained during last season's Super Bowl.
Since the primary OTA training takes place behind closed gates on Monday, reporters is not going to have the opportunity to attend until Tuesday afternoon. One player at the highest of everyone's checklist is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
As of Monday afternoon, neither Aiyuk's agent, Ryan Williams, nor the 49ers would confirm whether Aiyuk was in Santa Clara. The 49ers typically avoid listing which players are participating in workouts until the beginning of the regular season, and that's very true for voluntary workouts like OTAs.
Until an extension is reached, Aiyuk is predicted to play on the team's fifth-year, $14.1 million option on his rookie contract.
Regardless of who is perhaps absent during a contract break, OTAs will not be a deadline for contract extensions like Aiyuk expects.
The 49ers' business method is to reward these deals later in the summertime, normally firstly of coaching camp in late July.
In each of the last 4 seasons, a 49ers Pro Bowler has signed an extension late within the offseason, and last yr the extension didn't come until just before the season opener:
Tight End George Kittle: August 13, 2020 (5 years, $75 million)
Linebacker Fred Warner: July 21, 2021 (5 years/$95 million)
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel: July 31, 2022 (3 years/$72 million)
Defensive End Nick Bosa: September 6, 2023 (5 years/$170 million)
If the 49ers report back to training camp on July 24, as expected, that will likely be an important date to debate any contract disputes.
The 49ers have several key players entering the ultimate season of their current contracts: Aiyuk; cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir; linebacker Dre Greenlaw; safety Talanoa Hufanga; and guards Aaron Banks and Jon Feliciano.
Ward, a first-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro last season, spoke about his contract status on Kay Adams' “Up and Adams Show” Monday morning.
“I'm trying to get that bag, Miss Kay,” Ward said, noting that he’s in the ultimate yr of a three-year, $40 million contract. “I just have to go out there, have my best year, be better than last year. I'll leave it to its own devices. Hopefully I’ll get the bag next year.”
Ward is scheduled to receive a base salary of $12.6 million this season, the 49ers' third-highest mark behind wide receiver Deebo Samuel ($21 million) and left tackle Trent Williams ($20.1 million).
Ward also said he continues to get better from trunk surgery in February. Kittle can be recovering from similar surgery after the Super Bowl.
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