Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s frustrating situation with the San Francisco 49ers remains unresolved. It’s been a long time coming since the receiver first wanted out of the Bay Area, but the team is holding on tightly to his strings. However, oddly enough, the 28-year-old could’ve been out of San Francisco by now.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk Made a ‘Strange’ Mistake This Offseason
Aiyuk has been wanting to leave the Niners since at least 2024. Back then, however, he signed a $120 million, four-year extension. But the situation has since soured to the point where the wideout is unlikely to set foot on the field again in a 49ers jersey.
As for the Niners, the team has been actively seeking a trade partner to unload the experienced receiver, but has yet to find one. Financial and health concerns have made teams reluctant, as the wideout previously tore his ACL and MCL.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, however, noticed how Aiyuk could’ve already left the team, had he played his cards right.
“I wanted to expound a bit on the Aiyuk situation,” he wrote. “I, for one, don’t understand why he didn’t report to the Niners in the spring so they’d be forced to cut him. The deal Aiyuk did in 2024, for obvious reasons, is no longer worth the paper it was written on. Clearly the team doesn’t want him around.”
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“So if he was around, and they wanted to get rid of him, they’d have to cut him, at which point, he’d be able to go sign with whomever he wanted to (presumably, the Commanders would be his landing spot, given what he has put out there and his relationship with Daniels),” Breer added.
The 49ers acquired veteran Mike Evans this offseason to lead a receiving corps featuring Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk, Demarcus Robinson, and tight end George Kittle. The deep roster of pass-catchers, combined with Aiyuk’s situation, naturally points to the receiver, who logged a 92.7 PFSN WR Impact score in 2023, not being in the team’s long-term plans.
Aiyuk had been open about wanting to reunite with his college teammate, quarterback Jayden Daniels, with whom he played his final year at Arizona State in 2019.
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“For some reason, though, he’d rather post on social media about the $50 million he collected for eight months of work, or why he believes the Niners won’t let him go rather than forcing them to,” Breer wrote. “Like I said last week, it’s strange with a capital S.”
Whether the 49ers release their foothold on the wideout will be interesting to watch as preseason preparations continue.
