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Nick Wagoner
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It is not a query of if the San Francisco 49ers will transfer on from extensive receiver Brandon Aiyuk. It is when it should turn out to be official.
At Wednesday’s end-of-season information convention, Niners common supervisor John Lynch confirmed what has been apparent for months: Aiyuk won’t return to the one NFL group he has ever recognized.
“I believe it is secure to say that he is performed his final snap with the Niners,” Lynch mentioned. “It is unlucky. A scenario that simply went awry. And I’ll look lengthy and onerous at what may have been executed in another way, however typically it simply does not work out. And I believe that this was a case the place that occurred.”
Lynch added {that a} transaction with Aiyuk — a launch or, extra unlikely, a commerce — would are available “due time.” That transfer will finish one of many extra tumultuous player-team standoffs in current reminiscence.
After an prolonged contract stalemate in the summertime of 2024, the 49ers and Aiyuk reached settlement on a four-year, $120 million extension with $76 million in ensures on Aug. 29, 2024. Any hope that the accord would get the Niners and Aiyuk on the identical web page dissipated publicly lower than a month later when Aiyuk and coach Kyle Shanahan had an ungainly trade on the follow discipline on Sept. 27 as a result of Aiyuk was sporting pink shorts whereas the remainder of the group was within the required black ones.
It did not assist that Aiyuk, who didn’t take part in that summer time’s coaching camp, struggled on the sphere. He averaged 58.5 receiving yards per recreation with no touchdowns within the first six video games of that season earlier than he tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his proper knee Oct. 20, ending his season.
A number of sources informed ESPN that the Niners had hoped to commerce Aiyuk final offseason, however the damage ended any reasonable hopes of a superb return in commerce, because the demand for an injured participant on an enormous contract by no means got here to fruition.
From there, Aiyuk’s $24.935 million roster bonus for 2026 grew to become assured on April 1, 2025, however issues surfaced once more as Aiyuk skipped a number of rehab periods within the offseason.
That boiled over in July when the 49ers voided the roughly $27 million in ensures Aiyuk’s contract contained for 2026. Shanahan mentioned Nov. 22 that in his greater than 20 years of teaching, he had by no means been in a scenario the place a participant’s contract was voided.
It was additionally round that point that Aiyuk stopped displaying up altogether and, in accordance with Shanahan, minimize off communications with anybody within the constructing.
“I would say it formally stopped for me when the final time I attempted to get ahold of him and could not after which tried a pair extra occasions and nonetheless could not,” Shanahan mentioned Wednesday. “After which that matched everybody else that was making an attempt to get ahold of him to return in. And finally there’s not a lot of a proof as a result of it is actually onerous for us and anybody else to grasp, and that is why it is one thing I’ve by no means seen in 22 years of teaching. It is unlucky and it is complicated as a result of it is complicated for all of us, however it will definitely turns into ‘it’s what it’s.'”
On Dec. 13, the 49ers positioned Aiyuk on the reserve/left group checklist, which usually is used for gamers who intend to retire or briefly step away from soccer. That designation additionally ensured that Aiyuk wouldn’t play in any respect in 2025.
Now, the 49ers should determine when to maneuver on from Aiyuk and one of the simplest ways to do it. As a result of they voided his future ensures, they are going to tackle almost $30 million in useless cash on the wage cap in the event that they launch him within the offseason. They might additionally designate him a post-June 1 launch to separate that up into $13.325 million in useless cash in 2026 and $21.247 million in 2027. Those self same numbers would apply to a commerce, although that sort of transaction can’t be designated post-June 1 and would require the Niners to carry on to Aiyuk till the summer time.
Lynch mentioned Wednesday that transferring on from Aiyuk will permit the 49ers extra cap flexibility transferring ahead, particularly given the voiding of his future ensures. That might be particularly vital with wideout Jauan Jennings scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall having been restricted to 10 video games in 2025 due to accidents.
As for why Aiyuk stopped speaking with the Niners, Lynch mentioned “I want I knew… cannot enable you there.”
“You strive as onerous as you possibly can to repair one thing that you do not perceive, nevertheless it’s not like we perceive it very effectively nonetheless,” Shanahan mentioned. “Finally, you perceive that it isn’t going to vary and you bought to maneuver on along with your soccer group.”