Lynch coy on ‘challenging’ contract talks dynamics with Aiyuk

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers have signed several of their star players to long-term contracts over the past few years, but their negotiations, or lack thereof, with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have been more challenging then ever for general manager John Lynch and the front office. Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to local Bay Area media on Tuesday and detailed how the 49ers' history of signing their key players to multiyear deals gets harder each offseason. "It's important to note we're fortunate to be in this position," Lynch said. "We have a lot of talented players, and you have to have these conversations. This one has been challenging. We set it out, we started it earlier than we have in the past. Made it a priority. "There are a lot of dynamics. I'm not going to get into all of them, but there are a lot of dynamics as to why it's been challenging." The tricky elements for the front office are the aforementioned multiyear contracts signed by their stars over the last few years and their average annual salary. Edge rusher Nick Bosa ($34M), running back Christian McCaffrey ($19M) and fullback Kyle Juszczyk ($4.5M) - who took a pay cut during the offseason - all have the highest...