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.
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.”
“I’m trying to get that bag, Miss Kay,” Ward said, noting he’s on the last year of a three-year, $40 million deal. “I just got to go out there, have my best year, be better than last year. I’ll let it take care of itself. Hopefully, I get that bag next year.”
Ward is slated to make $12.6 million in base salary 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 is continuing to recover from February’s core-muscle surgery. Kittle is also recovering from a similar surgery after the Super Bowl.