"You need better sources," Williams wrote in response to blogger John Fracella's report that Aiyuk "requested a trade from the 49ers," citing "confirmation from my San Francisco source."

Last month, 49ers general manager Lynch, 52, said Ayiuk, 26, would not be available for a trade as the team was discussing a new contract with him during the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. The general manager broke his silence after Aiyuk acknowledged his frustration about entering the final year of his rookie deal during the Niners' exit interviews in February, noting that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin asked him "what's going on" in relation to the apparent disgruntled receiver.

"[Tomlin] is like, 'Bro, what's going on,'" Lynch said, laughing. "I promise you nothing's going on there. We're actively talking with Brandon trying to figure something out. We have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done to get something done and it takes two sides. So, can we do that? We'll see. There's a number of different directions that it could go but we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player, and we want him to be a part of the Niners. We're going to work towards making that a reality."

Aiyuk spoke to reporters on February 13, two days after San Francisco's Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and addressed his future with the team after his girlfriend, Rochelle Searight, and a former teammate both appeared to hint at a possible departure.

Aiyuk responded, "if that's the right move, yeah," when asked if he hoped to remain with the 49ers moving forward during the team's exit interviews on February 13. The second-team All-Pro then said "being a champion" when asked what would make staying in the Bay Area the right move.

On February 12, Searight shared a since-deleted TikTok detailing her "travel day of shame" following the Niners' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.

Jim Rose