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Fifteen months ago, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers ended a contentious contract dispute by negotiating a four-year, $120 million extension. It now appears that Aiyuk and the 49ers are headed for a stunning divorce.
Aiyuk, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last October, was placed on the physically unable to perform list in July and has yet to be activated. It’s now likely that the 27-year-old has played his last game with the franchise, according to numerous sources briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation. Some in the organization are holding out hope that the relationship can be salvaged enough for him to return this season. However, multiple sources believe that a reconciliation is unlikely.
Aiyuk, sources say, has failed to attend meetings and declined to participate in other team activities in recent months, and the 49ers have grown increasingly frustrated with the receiver’s lack of communication.
The 49ers, sources say, responded by voiding the guaranteed money in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026, asserting that the absences amounted to a failure to fulfill his contractual obligations. Aiyuk, according to multiple league sources, told NFL Players Association representatives that he did not want to fight the move via an official grievance. That would clear the way for his expected release at season’s end.
Aiyuk did not respond to a text message seeking comment. His agent, Ryan Williams, declined to comment. A spokesman for the 49ers declined to comment.
In voiding Aiyuk’s future guarantees, the 49ers can recover a significant portion of the contract. His 2026 option bonus would have paid out $24.935 million. He stood to earn a $1.215 million base salary for the 2026 season, as well as a $100,000 workout bonus and roster bonuses of $750,000 per game.
Aiyuk, a second-team All-Pro in 2023, would hit the open market with uncertainties about the health of his right knee. He tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus during an Oct. 20, 2024 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and underwent major reconstructive surgery in mid-November.
It was expected that Aiyuk could return for the latter part of this season, but he has remained on the PUP list. His presence at the team’s training facility has become scarce; sources say Aiyuk typically works out early in the morning and departs before other 49ers players arrive. Numerous members of the organization — including some 49ers players — have reached out to Aiyuk in recent weeks in an unsuccessful attempt to bring him back into the fold, one source said.
Aiyuk’s relationship with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and others in the organization was tested in the aftermath of the team’s overtime defeat to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. Coming off a career-best season in 2023 — Aiyuk had 1,342 receiving yards and was second in the NFL in yards per reception (17.9) — the receiver was unwilling to play for the $14.1 million he would have been due on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal.
Instead, Aiyuk stayed away from team activities until training camp, when he staged a hold-in, reporting to the team’s training facility but not practicing, citing back and neck soreness.
The receiver’s relationship with the franchise became more strained as the hold-in dragged on. Shanahan, according to sources, took issue with Aiyuk’s distracting presence. The coach and other powerbrokers in the organization were also frustrated by Aiyuk changing his mind on contract terms he sought and what potential trade destinations were acceptable to him.
The 49ers negotiated trade scenarios with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, but Aiyuk was reluctant to sign extensions with those teams, effectively ending the chances of a deal. He was amenable to making a long-term commitment with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were willing to part with second- and third-round draft picks to acquire him, according to sources.
In late August 2024, the 49ers forced the issue, medically clearing Aiyuk to return to practice. When he declined to do so the following day, the team was prepared to complete the deal with the Steelers. However, the following morning, Aiyuk met with Shanahan in his office and told the coach he would accept the 49ers’ most recent contract offer.
Shanahan then sprinted up the stairs to tell general manager John Lynch not to complete the trade with Pittsburgh. Soon thereafter, Aiyuk — a first-round selection in 2020 — signed the four-year extension, which included $76 million in guarantees.
Once the 2024 season began, Aiyuk got off to a slow start, catching only 13 passes for 167 yards and no touchdowns in the team’s first four games. In late September — in an incident witnessed by media members — Aiyuk became visibly upset on the practice field after Shanahan told him to change his practice shorts. Aiyuk had worn red shorts, rather than the black ones mandated by the coach.
Aiyuk proceeded to toss his gloves and cleats, remove his shorts and attempt to kick them off his leg, eventually replacing them with the required black ones.
He flashed his 2023 form the following Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, catching 12 passes for 147 yards. Two weeks later, during a 28-18 home defeat to the Chiefs, Aiyuk suffered the season-ending knee injury. The 49ers went 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
