San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk's slow start after his lengthy contract saga is becoming a big problem, writes SFGATE sports editor Alex Simon.

A typical Purdy pass saw him drop back, then wait — and wait and wait and wait — for a receiver to come open. His time-to-throw statistic — how much time elapses between the snap and throw — on Sunday was 3.02 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats. Last week it was 2.74 seconds.

In the aftermath of the San Francisco 49ers' Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, quarterback Brock Purdy shared an unexpectedly positive outlook on wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's performance. Despite Aiyuk's modest figures—four catches for 43 yards—Purdy highlighted their established connection and expressed his confidence in Aiyuk's abilities moving forward.

Last season, no one cared if Brandon Aiyuk finished a game with two catches for 28 yards. He wasn't the focual point of the offense nor was he one of the highes

The Brock Purdy-Brandon Aiyuk connection has been incredibly fruitful since Purdy became the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback. In the Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, it was clear they still have work to do to re-establish it following Aiyuk's prolonged contract impasse,

Brandon Aiyuk was more productive Sunday than he was in the season opener, but the San Francisco 49ers are still waiting to get their money’s worth from their All-Pro wide receiver. Aiyuk had four catches for 43 yards on five targets in a 23-17 loss to the Vikings,

The San Francisco 49ers certainly did their due diligence this summer as Brandon Aiyuk's future with the team was in question.