“I believe that the two sides are wary enough about each other’s positions that neither can rule out a total breakup. It’s all negotiating tactics, no doubt. But it’s a high-stakes negotiation, with trip wires everywhere on both sides.
And because they wouldn’t want to wait until next year’s draft to recoup an actual player for Aiyuk if they can’t see a path to a long-term deal, the 49ers would have to make that decision by, say, the middle of the first round Thursday.