San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk returned to the team offices on Friday and has begun to take the necessary steps to file for reinstatement.
Aiyuk recently hired agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, and the two addressed reporters ahead of their meeting with the team. The former Second Team All-Pro pass-catcher issued a short statement saying he's healthy and ready to go.
"I'm feeling great, feeling healthy, been a long recovery process, long rehab process but I'm back to 100% and looking to get reinstated to the National Football League," Aiyuk said.
Aiyuk returning to Santa Clara was a big story on Friday. Well, big to everyone except 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. He has since moved on from the Aiyuk drama and said he couldn't care less what happened during Friday's meeting.
There are a few obstacles that Aiyuk will have to navigate before he can suit up again.
Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reports that Aiyuk owes the 49ers about $13 million in bonus forfeiture. If you recall, the team signed Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million extension in August of 2024, then voided about $27 million of salary guarantees in July the following year after he did not meet the requirements in his contract. Aiyuk was then placed on the reserve/left squad list. Pelissero reports that the NFL management council and the NFL Players Association are both working to find a resolution, although it may take some time.
Additionally, the 49ers still own Aiyuk's rights. When he's reinstated by the league, the 49ers will have to trade or release him. San Francisco has failed to trade him in the past, meaning a release of his rights could be on the table after the $13 million problem is settled.
This marks the beginning of the end to a strange saga that included a contract holdout, an injury, a desertion and a social media circus.
What happened with Brandon Aiyuk?
In 2023, Aiyuk had established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns as the 49ers made it all the way to Super Bowl LVIII. Aiyuk's 3.1 yards per route run that year ranked No. 3 behind Tyreek Hill and Nico Collins, and his 81.3% of receptions going for a first down or a touchdown ranked first in the NFL.
Aiyuk joined Jerry Rice that year as the only players in franchise history to record seven 100-yard receiving games in a season. He was dynamic downfield, catching 14 of 20 passes thrown both outside the numbers and with 15+ air yards in 2023. It was the best rate (70%) of any player in the last four seasons (min. 20 targets), per CBS Sports Research. Aiyuk had one more year remaining on his rookie deal via the fifth-year option, but he wanted long-term security heading into 2024.
Not long after the 49ers' Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Aiyuk's girlfriend published an interesting TikTok.
"This might have been the last day we touched foot on Levi's Stadium," she said, "because we might not be out here next year."
However, 49ers general manager John Lynch said in March of 2024 that they were working on an extension with Aiyuk, and would not be trading him.
"Brandon's one that we think incredibly highly of, one of my favorite guys around our building," Lynch said, via the 49ers' official website.
Things appeared to change as the offseason rolled on. Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, the 49ers began to explore a potential deal involving Aiyuk. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the 49ers wanted a first-round pick for their top receiver. One NFL executive claimed, "they want too much."
When the draft did roll around, the 49ers selected a wide receiver at No. 31 overall in Ricky Pearsall. Even after the addition of Pearsall, Lynch said on the "Pat McAfee Show," they were past trading Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel.
"I'm doing everything in my power to keep our roster together," Lynch said. "That's my goal, and I don't question that. When you talk about guys like Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo, those are guys that we drafted, and we take a lot of pride in what they've become and who they've become. We couldn't be more proud of those guys. And so, during the course of drafts and offseasons, do conversations happen? Absolutely, they do. We're past that now. We're thrilled to add to that group."
In June, the 49ers reported to mandatory minicamp. Aiyuk did not. He started talking about playing for other teams publicly, listing the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers as potential landing spots.
"If not a Niners uniform, probably a Washington Commanders uniform," Aiyuk said during an appearance on "The Pivot" podcast. "If not a Washington Commanders uniform, probably Steelers uniform."
The next month, Aiyuk finally demanded a trade. Teams had reached out to the 49ers about Aiyuk, but were told San Francisco did not plan to trade him, per ESPN. Aiyuk did show up to training camp, but was "holding in" as he awaited a new contract.
It got to the point where NFL Media reported that contract talks between Aiyuk and the 49ers had been stalled for quite some time, and it was more likely the star pass-catcher would be traded than find lucrative, long-term security in San Francisco.
However, less than a month later, Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the 49ers. At $30 million per season, it tied the fifth-largest average annual value for a wide receiver contract at the time.
After sitting out offseason work and the preseason, Aiyuk started the 2024 campaign slowly. He failed to reach 50 yards receiving in each of his first four games before finally breaking out with 147 yards on eight catches in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. He caught two passes for 37 yards the following week vs. the Seattle Seahawks, then tore his ACL in the Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs in Week 7.
Naturally, Aiyuk was forced to miss the remainder of the 2024 season, but questions started being raised about when he would return to the lineup in 2025. In November, The Athletic reported that the team had voided the $27 million of 2026 salary guarantees owed to Aiyuk in the summer after he failed to meet the obligations in his contract. The next month, Aiyuk was placed on the reserve/left team list. Shanahan said at the time that he hadn't seen Aiyuk "in forever" and that Aiyuk had been "extremely distant."
Later that month, Aiyuk filmed himself driving 104 mph near the 49ers' stadium. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office issued a warrant for his arrest on a misdemeanor speeding charge -- which remains active to this day, by the way.
Lynch publicly announced the 49ers would be taking calls on Aiyuk, but given that this was a receiver who seemingly quit on his team and his rehab, they didn't find a market. Still, San Francisco wasn't going to just release him.
With Aiyuk still tied to the 49ers and unable to sign with another team, he began lashing out on social media. He called the 49ers "little-ass boys" during one rant posted to Instagram, and called the organization "stupid" for paying him.
"They mad 'cause they stupid," Aiyuk said. "They dumb. They mad that they paid me $50 million in eight months and then voided my guarantees for 2027. And I'm about to be on a new team in 2027. They mad at themselves for real. They acting like they mad at me, but they stupid ass mad at themselves."
Aiyuk started pretending as if he were close to signing with the Commanders and reuniting with his college quarterback in Jayden Daniels. In numerous videos, he donned Commanders gear and even claimed he bought a house in Ashburn -- where Washington's practice facility is located. However, Aiyuk had not applied for reinstatement and still had his rights owned by the 49ers.
He missed the entire 2025 season, but has now shifted his focus. Aiyuk is finally playing ball and taking the necessary steps to finalize a divorce.
