Brandon Aiyuk watches practice — at 49ers camp, not Steelers camp

SANTA CLARA — Brandon Aiyuk wore a bright red jersey, black shorts and the focused gaze of a keen observer at 49ers training camp on Wednesday.

A day after the 49ers agreed to a trade that would send Aiyuk to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it appeared as though a 49ers employee was still on a “temporary contract” until his troubled contract was resolved.

Aiyuk was watching the game from the sideline, initially 50 yards from the field and near the goal line. But as the 49ers entered their red zone drills, his teammates spotted Aiyuk and said hello. Among them was general manager John Lynch, who exchanged a handshake and patted Aiyuk on the back, more of a greeting than any congratulations on a new deal, either with the 49ers or the Steelers.

Later, Aiyuk found himself in familiar company on the sidelines: Deebo Samuel and George Kittle were getting down on one knee between plays, Kyle Juszczyk joined the group, and Aiyuk even borrowed Samuel’s water bottle to take a sip.

“I don’t see him all the time, because I’m in camp mode, so having a chat with him is great, to see how he’s doing and if everything is going the way he wants it to be.” Kettle said“…just getting to see him is always great. I love the smile on his face.”

How do we explain the smiling, family-reunion scene? Simply put, Aiyuk is still with the 49ers, and his contract status remains up in the air until otherwise announced, as it was a week ago in camp when he walked onto the field and enthusiastically greeted Lynch and his coach, Kyle Shanahan, before retreating into the shadows.

But it’s easy to overstate the plot of the lost son coming home. Aiyuk skipped all offseason workouts and the mandatory training camp in June. He showed up for camp three weeks early, but most of his interactions with teammates took place behind the scenes in the conference room. He watched other practices, often from an equipment cart away from the action.

After six months of speculation and social media photos, Aiyuk appeared to be closing in on a solution when NFL Network reported Tuesday afternoon that a trade with the Steelers was in place and he simply waited for the green light from the 49ers, while also seeking to retain their leading wide receiver of the past two seasons.

“How much do we miss him? The season hasn’t started yet, so we don’t know how much we miss him yet,” said midfielder Charvarius Ward. “I don’t want to say anything crazy, but they’ll find a solution eventually.”

Kittle, who has been in a four-year contract extension saga with the 49ers, agreed with Ward’s assessment of Aiyuk’s absence as an unknown factor. Aiyuk has only missed one start since Week 2 of the 2021 season, when he emerged from the perfect doghouse and showed the urgency required of him on every snap.

“As an offense, we don’t know how much it’s going to affect us,” Kittle said of Aiyuk’s exit. “We trade pieces all the time. Trent Williams got hurt one game and we still won, so yeah, we’re missing a guy but we can live with that. So at the end of the day, we don’t know. I know Aiyuk is a great football player and the energy he brings every day lifts us up.”

So, yes, Ayoob is still welcome. He is still an investor. However, he is still on the sidelines.

When the siren blew three times to signal the end of practice, teammates rushed together and listened as linebacker Patrick Willis, recently inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, ended their meeting.

But Aiyuk didn’t take a single step toward the huddle. He walked off the field alone, tossing the football in the air. He then threw the ball back and forth several times with the help of assistant equipment manager Guillermo Escalante, and Aiyuk never looked back when he entered the team’s weight room, where Christian McCaffrey and other injured players were working out during a 90-minute workout.

Aiyuk did not appear on the sideline until after warmups, after which media are not allowed to take photos or video. He looked in great shape, stretching his arms and legs as if he had been working out on his own earlier. He has not been spotted at practice in more than a week and did not attend Saturday’s preseason opener against Tennessee.

Aiyuk has not been interviewed by local reporters since camp began, nor since he emotionally cleaned out his locker two days after the Super Bowl loss.

He saw in practice how the defense took control of the game early before the offense got active in the red zone, highlighted by a Brock Purdy pass to Kittle, who celebrated by kicking the ball over the fence. None of the wide receivers were particularly impressive, perhaps best captured by Jay-Lynn Mahoney’s interception of a deep ball from Tanner Mordecai.