The Brandon Aiyuk era with the San Francisco 49ers could be over after this season, and the player may not even play a snap in the 2025 campaign due to a knee injury.
Last year, it appeared that Aiyuk and the 49ers were in it together for the long haul after the two sides agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension. However, only 15 months after the agreement to end a contract dispute was signed between the wideout and the Niners, a divorce could be on the horizon.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Michael Silver report on November 21, citing sources, that the 49ers could be looking to move on from Aiyuk, as the relationship between the two sides appears damaged and 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 report from The Athletic said.
“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.”
The Financial Fallout for 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk
The report from The Athletic states that neither party is willing to comment on the matter, as it is unlikely to be a distraction given the team’s battle for a playoff spot in this final stretch of the 2025 season.
Nonetheless, if the 49ers do decide to go through with cutting ties with their wide receiver, there’s a financial fallout from this decision.
“In voiding Aiyuk’s future guarantees, the 49ers can recover a significant portion of the contract,” the report added. “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.”
Will Brandon Aiyuk Play for the 49ers This Season?
Aiyuk went down with a knee injury that ended his season last October. He landed on the physically unable to perform list in July and still has not been cleared to return. On October 16, 49ers general manager John Lynch stated that Aiyuk was nearing a return to the field, but so far, that hasn’t happened.
“He’s getting closer. He is getting closer,” General Manager John Lynch said in an interview with KNBR (h/t NBC Sports Bay Area). “And I can see that each week. He’s better today than he was last week at this time. That’s all positive. That’s the update.”
With no return in sight, The Athletic’s report also sheds light on Aiyuk’s training process, who appears to be at a distance from his teammates.
“It was expected that Aiyuk could return for the latter part of this season, but he has remained on the PUP list,” the report said. “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.”
Since being drafted by the Niners in 2020, Aiyuk has had 294 catches for 4,305 yards and has scored 27 touchdowns in 69 games for the 49ers in his career, per StatMuse.
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