Brandon Aiyuk appears at 49ers practice as a spectator as his 'hold in' enters a 4th week

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Star receiver Brandon Aiyuk was back out at San Francisco 49ers practice as a spectator as his contract hold in enters a fourth week still in search of a resolution.

Aiyuk had mostly stayed off the field the past two weeks after making waves with his boisterous handshakes with general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan two weeks ago.

Aiyuk skipped the entire offseason program and hasn't practiced yet in training camp as he seeks either a long-term contract with San Francisco or a trade to a team that can agree with the receiver on a new deal and give the 49ers enough compensation to part with him.

Neither of those options has come to a resolution yet although an end may be getting closer with NFL Network reporting earlier this week that the Niners have a framework for a potential deal with Pittsburgh in place but are waiting to see if they can reach a deal with Aiyuk before making any trade.

Aiyuk came out to practice late in the session on Wednesday. He shook hands with Lynch and watched part of practice, chatting at times with teammates Deebo Samuel and George Kittle.

“I don’t see him all the time, because I’m in camp mode. So being able to have a conversation with him is fantastic, to see how he’s doing and if everything is going the way that he wants it to go," Kittle said. "Just the chance to see him is always fantastic. I love the smile on his face.”

Even Aiyuk's choice of wardrobe caught his teammates' attention as he wore a red 49ers shirt.

“Wearing red for the first time, too," Kittle said. “It’s crazy.”

Aiyuk had been set to play on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season and wanted San Francisco to make him the latest receiver to cash in with a long-term deal. Ten receivers before Aiyuk had signed contracts worth at least $70 million already this offseason with Justin Jefferson’s four-year, $140 million extension with Minnesota setting the top of the market.

Aiyuk had been a key part of San Francisco’s offense last season as he formed a great connection with quarterback Brock Purdy. Aiyuk had 75 catches and a career-high 1,375 yards last season with seven touchdowns as he earned second-team All-Pro honors.

His absence would be hard to overcome if San Francisco has designs on getting back to the Super Bowl and winning it this upcoming season.

“The season hasn’t started yet so we don’t know how much we miss him yet,” cornerback Charvarius Ward said. “I don’t want to say nothing crazy but they’ll figure it out, eventually for sure.”

NOTES: The 49ers signed DL Nick Williams to a one-year deal after losing Kalia Davis to a knee injury in the exhibition opener. ... LB Ezekiel Turner was released to make room. ... WR Danny Gray (shoulder) had the blue no-contact jersey removed. ... First-round rookie WR Ricky Pearsall (shoulder) remains sidelined.

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Brandon Aiyuk appears at 49ers practice as a spectator as his 'hold in' enters a 4th week

FILE - San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk speaks to reporters during opening night festivities for the NFL football Super Bowl 58, in Las Vegas, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)

Brandon Aiyuk appears at 49ers practice as a spectator as his 'hold in' enters a 4th week

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Nevada man with a shotgun, loaded handgun, ammunition and several fake passports in his vehicle was arrested at a security checkpoint outside Donald Trump's rally Saturday night in the Southern California desert, authorities said. He was released Saturday on $5,000 bail.

The suspect, a 49-year-old resident of Las Vegas, was driving an unregistered black SUV with a “homemade” license plate that was stopped by deputies assigned to the rally in Coachella, east of Los Angeles, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a Sunday news conference.

The driver claimed to be a journalist but it was unclear if he had the proper credentials. Deputies noticed the interior of the vehicle was “in disarray” and a search uncovered the weapons and ammo, along with multiple passports and driver licenses with different names, Bianco said.

The man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine, the department said in a statement.

“This incident did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event,” the Saturday statement said. Trump had not yet arrived at the rally at the time of the arrest, the sheriff said Sunday.

The suspect is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 2, 2025, according to online records.

Bianco declined to speculate about the suspect's motives or frame of mind. “We know we prevented something bad from happening, and it was irrelevant what that bad was going to be," Bianco said.

Media members, as well as VIP ticket holders, were routed through a number of intersections manned by state and local law enforcement officers before arriving at a large, grassy area where drivers were asked to open hoods and trunks, and each vehicle was searched by a K-9 officer. Other general ticket holders were directed to a site roughly 3 miles away from the rally, where they were boarded onto buses and driven to the site.

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco planned an afternoon news conference to discuss the arrest.

Security is very tight at Trump rallies following two recent assassination attempts. Last month, a man was indicted on an attempted assassination charge after authorities said he staked out the former president for 12 hours and wrote of his desire to kill him. The Florida arrest came two months after Trump was shot and wounded in the ear in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Attendees watch as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Calhoun Ranch, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Coachella, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Law enforcement snipers look over the scene as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Calhoun Ranch, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Coachella, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump gestures to the audience as he departs a campaign rally at the Calhoun Ranch, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Coachella, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)