SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — When the San Francisco 49ers opened training camp on Wednesday there was much more intrigue about the players not on the field than the ones taking part in practice.
All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams is holding out as he seeks a more lucrative contract, and star receiver Brandon Aiyuk is conducting a “hold in” as he waits for a contract extension.
Aiyuk watched the first few minutes of practice in street clothes before walking off the field early in the session. He is currently under the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season but is looking to become the latest receiver to cash in on a big multi-year deal.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said Aiyuk reported having a sore back and neck but characterized the absence as a “hold in.”
“It's what we expected and I understand the situation fully,” Shanahan said.
Williams' decision to skip the start of camp was a bigger immediate issue, with Shanahan describing it as “contract related.”
General manager John Lynch has been speaking this offseason with Williams' representatives about a new deal to replace the final three non-guaranteed years of a six-year, $138.1 million contract signed in 2021.
Williams is owed a base salary of about $20.1 million this season with an additional $750,000 in per-game roster bonuses. Williams is subject to a mandatory fine of $50,000 for each day of training camp he misses.
"It was something I knew could be a possibility,” Shanahan said. “I was hoping he would be here, but I knew it could be a possibility. I feel pretty confident that it will all work out in the long run and he’ll be here and we’ll get on the same page with everything. But it’s just one day of practice and I think Trent will be all right missing a few practices.”
Williams has been the best left tackle in the NFL since joining the Niners in 2020. He has been a first-team All-Pro the past three seasons, and the 36-year-old has made 11 Pro Bowls.
Williams is by far the best player on an offensive line that lacks any other top performers, making his absence a major concern.
“That's one of our best players, one of our leaders,” All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said. “But we understand the business side of it. This isn't our first rodeo. It's a curse and a blessing to have so many great players as part of our team. We'll get it figured out.”
The Niners have done a good job rewarding their homegrown stars, handing out megadeals the past four offseasons to George Kittle, Warner, Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa.
Samuel missed a handful of practices in 2022 as a “hold in” and Bosa held out until a few days before the season opener last season. Both players said the long contract disputes weighed on them and impacted their performance during those seasons.
Aiyuk was a key part of San Francisco’s offense last season as he developed 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.
Eight 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.
NOTES: Rookie RB Isaac Guerendo left practice early with a right hamstring injury. ... All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey didn't take part in team drills as the club eases him into camp. ... Rookie S Malik Mustapha made the defensive play of the day when he ranged from his deep safety spot to intercept a deep pass from Joshua Dobbs to Danny Gray.
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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks at a news conference during NFL football training camp in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algerians voted Saturday in an election to decide whether army-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune gets another term in office — five years after pro-democracy protests prompted the military to oust the previous president after two decades in power.
Since Algeria announced the election date earlier this year, there has been little suspense about the result.
Though he is expected to be named the winner once the results are finalized, Tebboune said after voting that he hoped “whoever wins will continue on the path towards a point of no return in the construction of democracy.”
With vote counting underway Saturday evening after polls closed, the question is less about who will win and more about how many voters stayed home.
Tebboune's backers and challengers all urged voters to come out to cast their ballots after boycotts and high abstention rates in previous elections marred the government's ability to claim popular support.
But throughout the day, many polling places in Algiers were mostly empty, apart from scores of police officers manning their posts.
Polling places were kept open until 9 p.m. on Saturday after officials extended the voting period to accommodate concerns that people may not have voted during the day in certain parts of the country due to the heat. As of 5 p.m., voter turnout was 26.5% in Algeria and 18.3% for precincts abroad.
Preliminary results are expected late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
Algeria is Africa's largest country by area and, with almost 45 million people, it's the continent's second most populous after South Africa to hold presidential elections in 2024 — a year in which more than 50 elections are being held worldwide, encompassing more than half the world's population.
The campaign — rescheduled earlier this year to take place during North Africa's hot summer — was characterized by apathy from the population, which continues to be plagued by high costs of living and drought that brought water shortages to some parts of the country.
“Uncle Tebboune," as his campaign framed the 78-year-old, was elected in December 2019 after nearly a year of weekly “Hirak” demonstrations demanding the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Their demands were met when Bouteflika resigned and was replaced by an interim government of his former allies, which called for elections later in the year.
Protestors opposed holding elections too soon, fearing candidates running that year each were close to the old regime and would derail dreams of a civilian-led, non-military state. Tebboune, a former prime minister seen as close to the military, won. But his victory was stained by boycotts and Election Day tumult, during which crowds sacked voting stations and police broke up demonstrations.
Throughout his tenure, Tebboune has used oil and gas revenue to boost some social benefits — including unemployment insurance as well as public wages and pensions — to calm discontent. To cement his legitimacy, Tebboune hopes more of the country's 24 million eligible voters participate in Saturday's election than in his first, when only 39.9% voted.
Many of the last election's boycotters remain unconvinced about elections ushering in change.
Activists and international organizations, including Amnesty International, have railed against how authorities continue prosecuting those involved in opposition parties, media organizations and civil society groups.
Some have denounced this election as a rubber stamp exercise that can only entrench the status quo.
“Algerians don’t give a damn about this bogus election,” said former Hirak leader Hakim Addad, who was banned from participating in politics three years ago. “The political crisis will persist as long as the regime remains in place. The Hirak has spoken.”
Twenty-six candidates submitted preliminary paperwork to run in the election, although only two were ultimately approved to challenge Tebboune.
Neither political novices, they avoided directly criticizing Tebboune on the campaign trail and, like the incumbent, emphasized participation.
Abdelali Hassani Cherif, a 57-year-old head of the Islamist party Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) made populist appeals to Algerian youth, running on the slogan “Opportunity!” Youcef Aouchiche, a 41-year-old former journalist running with the Socialist Forces Front (FFS), campaigned on a “vision for tomorrow.”
Both challengers and their parties risked losing backing from would-be supporters who thought they were selling out by contributing to the idea that the election was democratic and contested.
Walking near a vote center in downtown Algiers, longtime FFS supporter Mhand Kasdi said his party had betrayed its ideals by putting forth a candidate for the first time since 1999.
“It is giving its backing to a rigged election,” the 55-year-old gas station manager said, adding that Aouchiche and Hassani “are going to help make the regime's candidate look good."
Voting in his hometown Saturday, Aouchiche called on Algerians to vote for him “to give young people the confidence to put an end to the despair that drives them to take the boats of death in an attempt to reach the other side of the Mediterranean,” referencing many who elect to migrate to Europe in search of opportunity rather than remain at home.
Andrew Farrand, the Middle East and North Africa director at the geopolitical risk consultancy Horizon Engage, said both challengers were more aimed at the 2025 legislative elections than the 2024 presidential contest. Because Algerian law funds political parties based on the number of seats they win in legislative elections, they hope campaigning positions them for a strong 2025 performance.
“It’s a long game: How can I mobilize my base? How can I build up a campaign machine? And how can I get into the good graces of the authorities so that I can be in a position to increase my seats?” he said. “We’ve seen that in their choice not to overtly criticize president … paired with a very strong message to Algerians to come out and vote.”
Presidential candidate of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), Abdelali Hassani Cherif, prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
Presidential candidate of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), Abdelali Hassani Cherif, prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
Presidential candidate and leader of the FFS party, Youcef Aouchich, casts his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria. (AP Photo)
Algerian president and candidate for re-election Abdelmajid Tebboune speaks after casting his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo)
Election officials wait for voters inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
A voter prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
A voter prepares to cast her ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
A voter prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
Ballots showing presidential candidates inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
A ballot showing Algerian president and candidate for re-election Abdelmajid Tebboune, inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
Ballots showing the three presidential candidates are placed on a table inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul)
A voter prepares to cast her ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
Election officials wait for voters inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
A voter poses for a photo with her inked finger after casting her ballot inside a polling station during the presidential elections, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
CORRECTS DATE - A voter prepares to cast his ballot inside a polling station during the presidential election, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
A man walks past electoral banners of presidential candidate, including President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, center, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Algiers, Algeria. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)
Algerian president and candidate for re-election Abdelmajid Tebboune delivers a speech during his campaign for the upcoming presidential election, in Oran, Algeria, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Str)
