The San Francisco 49ers and star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have had a pretty tumultuous relationship ever since the All-Pro’s memorable “hold-in” during a very public, ongoing contract dispute in the Summer of 2024. Specifically, the relationship of note more or less begins and ends with 49ers General Manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, a notably successful duo that came in together with the storied franchise in 2017, and are essentially locked at the hip. Unfortunately, at least for fans of the team, based on a rather shocking report dropped by The Athletic, it appears Aiyuk is a near lock to be released by the team at season’s end. In the span of just 15 months since Aiyuk signed an enormous, four-year, $120 million extension, including $76 million in guaranteed money, the vibes are hardly “Can’t spell The Bay without BA” these days. “It now appears that Aiyuk and the 49ers are headed for a stunning divorce,” the report began. “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 he has played his last game with the [49ers] franchise, according to numerous sources briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.” But it gets even more complicated from there, or perhaps less complicated given what’s apparently transpired between Aiyuk and the 49ers over these past few months. “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 lengthy dispatch from The Athletic continued. “The 49ers 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. That would clear the way for his expected release at season’s end. The idea that a talent like Aiyuk might not be making his return at all this season already served as a huge blow to the 49ers offense. But based on the report and all the background music within it, the reality that this might already be the end for No. 11 in a 49ers uniform-based on social media alone-has fans of the Niners in a state of reflection, while fans of other NFL teams are jumping for joy in the hopes of landing the proven, talented wide receiver. The report also referenced that there are still some individuals within the 49ers organization who are still “holding out hope that the relationship can be salvaged enough for him to return this season.” But given the current circumstances of the apparent deeply fractured player-team relationship, along with the delicate recovery time given that Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL/MCL/meniscus just over a year ago, it seems like a return to the field in 2025 would be unlikely at this point.
https://www.complex.com/sports/a/tim-ryan/49ers-releasing-brandon-aiyuk-report-voided-contract-money