The San Francisco 49ers are at their Week 14 bye and though they’re looking forward to some much-needed down time, they’re also reaching critical mass when it comes to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk‘s status for the rest of the season and beyond.
Coach Kyle Shanahan has said the Niners won’t open anyone’s — including Aiyuk’s — practice window during the bye which means there are four more weeks for Aiyuk to return to practice and, potentially, play in the regular season.
Of course, while the 27-year-old has yet to be physically cleared to return from a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee (an injury he suffered in Week 7 last season), it remains to be seen if he will even do so if he gets the green light. That’s because, in July, the 49ers took the drastic step of voiding the roughly $27 million in guarantees contained in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026 after Aiyuk failed to live up to the contract he signed in August 2024, including missed rehab sessions.
“I’ve been coaching over 20 years, and I’ve never been in a situation where a contract’s been voided,” Shanahan said on Nov. 22. “It’s extremely unusual to me.”
Now, the 49ers and Aiyuk are at a crossroads where his talent could be of use as the Niners (9-4) make a playoff push, but a potential return could also prove a distraction if he and the 49ers aren’t able to put aside their differences.
So it is that a once promising future for the Niners and Aiyuk now looks far murkier than it did on Aug. 29, 2024 when the sides signed off on a four-year, $120 million extension that, at the time, was the second-largest in franchise history.
ESPN NFL Nation 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner, senior NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler and NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid weigh in on what lies ahead for Aiyuk and the Niners.
How did the 49ers and Aiyuk get here?
Throughout the 2024 training camp, Aiyuk and the 49ers found themselves in a contentious contract negotiation in which Aiyuk requested a trade after taking to social media multiple times to voice his displeasure. The Niners tried to grant that request only for Aiyuk to use his contract leverage to nix those offers. At the time, it seemed that the right amount of money might buy happiness for both parties.
So a week before the season, the 49ers extended Aiyuk with an extension that included $76 million in guarantees.
But it didn’t take long for those good feelings to vanish. Soon after Aiyuk signed, he and Shanahan had an awkward public exchange on the practice field on Sept. 27, 2024, when Aiyuk wore red shorts when the rest of the team was wearing the required black ones. Aiyuk was seen taking the shorts off on the field and kicking them as he changed in to the correct ones. That it happened publicly after Aiyuk signed the contract was a signal that all was not well despite the new deal.
Aiyuk then struggled on the playing field. He was averaging 58.5 yards per game with no touchdowns in the first six weeks. Then, he suffered a devastating knee injury on Oct. 20, ending his season.
At that point, the frustration of the contract negotiations lingered.
Multiple sources told ESPN that the Niners had hoped to trade him last offseason but the injury put an end to any realistic hopes of a good return in trade, though, as the market for an injured player with a big contract never materialized.
On April 1, Aiyuk’s $24.935 million roster bonus for 2026 became guaranteed. But Aiyuk missed multiple rehabilitation sessions in the offseason and the Niners voided his 2026 guarantees, including that option bonus.
Still, Aiyuk earned praise from Shanahan and receivers coach Leonard Hankerson for taking an active role in helping the receivers and rehabbing in training camp, perhaps in an effort to get the Niners to reconsider the voided guarantees.
Aiyuk had 50 days from when his guarantees were voided to file a non-injury grievance (recourse for the player through the NFLPA that allows them to challenge club punishments related to contracts, fines or suspensions), but he did not. And though he has been around the facility for rehab in recent weeks, his presence for team activities and practice has been scarce, though teammates say they have been in contact with him.
“I reach out to him as much as I can, check on him,” receiver Ricky Pearsall said before the 49ers’ Week 12 win against the Panthers. “Sometimes when you’re in this business, you’re always busy. He’s busy doing his thing, so sometimes you’re not communicating every single day. You would like to check on people like that. But when he pops in my head and I think of him, I’ll reach out to him.” — Wagoner
Will Aiyuk play for the 49ers again?
If the surprising 2022 Jimmy Garoppolo reunion taught us anything, it’s that nothing should ever be ruled out. Still, in Aiyuk’s case, it seems like there would have to be a major shift for him to play for the Niners this season or in the future.
In late November, it was mentioned to Shanahan that the voiding of Aiyuk’s guarantees would seem to point to his eventual departure. At the time, Shanahan demurred.
“What happened in July, to me, doesn’t have anything to do with the future,” Shanahan said then. “When it comes to the future of this, I would love for B.A. to be here. I would love for him to get healthy and get back to really helping us out and being a part of this team. We haven’t had that in a little bit and I still hold out hope that he can get there. But he obviously hasn’t gotten there yet.”
It should be noted that Aiyuk is on the physically unable to perform list, not injured reserve, which means the Niners could, in theory, open his practice window to see how healthy he is and how he might fit back into a team he hasn’t played with in more than a year before possibly activating him and it wouldn’t count against their allotment of eight players they can designate to return from IR. The window for AIyuk to return to practice or be activated could extend if the Niners make the postseason.
Also, Aiyuk’s knee injury was severe and it’s fair to wonder if he can perform near the standard he has played at previously, which might make sitting the rest of the regular season more prudent if he can’t be at or near full strength.
There’s also a delicate balance to keep in mind in the locker room. And while the Niners could use someone of Aiyuk’s considerable talents on the field, they also need to ensure they don’t disrupt the chemistry and culture this year’s team has built in an adverse season.
The more likely scenario is that Aiyuk and the Niners decline to bring him back this season and then part ways — in whatever form that might take — in the offseason when the Niners won’t have nearly the financial burden they would have before voiding his future guarantees. — Wagoner
With the future guarantees voided, the contract math on Aiyuk is pretty simple. The 49ers would incur a $29.585 million dead-money cap charge if they release him outright. They could designate him as a post-June 1 release and spread that money over two years, carrying a $13.325 million dead-money charge in 2026 and the rest in 2027. And the same math applies if they traded him — a $29.585 million dead-money hit with the option to spread it over two years if they were to deal him after June 1. Reminder: Teams cannot trade a player before June 1 and designate the move as a post-June 1 transaction. They would have to actually wait until after June 1 to trade him to be able to spread the dead money out, or else absorb the full $29.585 million dead-money hit in 2026. — Graziano Somewhere on the top shelf of available free agent receivers. Dallas’ George Pickens is considered the top option, but Dallas could take him off the market with the franchise tag. Aiyuk would most likely be in the class with Indianapolis’ Alec Pierce and Green Bay’s Romeo Doubs. His turbulent past two years in San Francisco must be accounted for, but he’s only 27 and has a transferable skill — he’s an elite route runner, assuming he becomes healthy enough to still beat corners. One team to potentially watch for Aiyuk is Washington. He is close with quarterback Jayden Daniels, his former teammate at Arizona State. And general manager Adam Peters — a John Lynch disciple from his time in San Francisco — understands the Aiyuk experience well. — Fowler The 49ers have been diligent in drafting wide receiver talent, as they’ve selected at least one in four of the past five years. And with another loaded class of wideouts on deck in 2026, San Francisco will likely be searching for talent at the position once again. One common trait the Niners look for in wide receiver prospects is the ability to pick up yards after the catch. And that means KC Concepcion (Texas A&M) and Chris Bell (Louisville) would be two realistic options at the back end of Round 1 — the 49ers are projected to pick No. 28, per ESPN’s Football Power Index — and both would make a lot of sense. Concepcion has 423 yards after the catch this season, while Bell has 378. — ReidWhat would be the contract and salary cap implications of moving on from Aiyuk?
What sort of market would exist for Aiyuk in free agency if he is released?
Will the 49ers be looking to add another receiver in the 2026 NFL draft? If so, who would be a good fit?
