49ers start OTA practices as Brandon Aiyuk contract drama lingers

SANTA CLARA – Organized team activities are underway on the 49ers’ practice fields outside Levi’s Stadium.

This final stage of the offseason program remains voluntary, so fans should not be alarmed if key veterans are still working out on their own elsewhere, or recovering from injuries endured in last season’s run to the Super Bowl.

With Monday’s initial OTA practice held behind closed gates, reporters won’t be taking roll until Tuesday afternoon’s access. One player high on 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 refrain from listing which players participate in practice until the regular season starts, and that is especially true for voluntary workouts like OTAs.

Until an extension is reached, Aiyuk is slated to play on his rookie deal’s fifth-year team option at $14.1 million.

Regardless of who might be absent during a contract holdout, OTAs are not a deadline for contract extensions, such as the one Aiyuk is awaiting.

The 49ers’ business method is to reward those deals later in the summer, typically at the onset of training camp in late July.

Each of the last four seasons, a 49ers Pro Bowler has signed an extension late in the offseason, and in last year’s case, it didn’t come until just before the season opener:

Tight end George Kittle: Aug. 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: Sept. 6, 2023 (5 years/$170 million)

If the 49ers report to training camp as expected on July 24, then that is the bigger date to circle on any contract squabbles.

The 49ers have several key players entering the final season of their current deal: 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, addressed his contract status Monday morning on Kay Adams’ “Up and Adams Show.”