Where is Brandon Aiyuk? The post Why 49ers WR Might Play His Last Game in a San Francisco Uniform originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with a lot of injuries this season, but Brandon Aiyuk’s situation stands out the most.
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Aiyuk was set to enter the first year of a four-year contract extension with the 49ers this season, but Aiyuk never played. Instead, the relationship between him and the 49ers has permanently broken down, which will almost certainly lead to the parties parting ways in the spring.
Aiyuk was at one point the team’s best receiver and a key cog in San Francisco’s explosive offense. Now, Aiyuk is more of an afterthought, and the 49ers may regret giving him an extension.
Here’s an analysis of the situation between Aiyuk and the 49ers.
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Where is Brandon Aiyuk?
Brandon Aiyuk is leaving the 49ers as the two sides appear to be heading toward a permanent divorce. Aiyuk was injured to start the season, but over time he developed a feud with San Francisco that resulted in him not playing a game for the 49ers this year and the team preparing to move on from him this offseason.
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What happened to Brandon Aiyuk?
In October 2024, Aiyuk suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, ending his season prematurely. After undergoing surgery, the wide receiver spent the offseason rehabbing and began 2025 training camp on the physically unable to perform list.
The 49ers expect Aiyuk to be available once he recovers, but he is reportedly keeping his distance while he recovers. San Francisco never removed him from the PUP list because he never seemed to make an effort to return to team activities.
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Brandon Aiyuk plot timeline
Spring/Summer 2024: With Aiyuk set to play as a fifth-year rookie option, the wide receiver stayed away from team activities and remained in training camp until the 49ers gave him a new contract.
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August 2024: After protracted negotiations with the 49ers, which included the team nearly trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the team.
October 2024: Aiyuk suffered a season-ending knee injury and played only seven games in the 2024 season.
July 2025: The 49ers placed Aiyuk on the PUP list as the wide receiver recovers from torn ACL and MCL.
November 2025: “The Athletic” reported that the 49ers canceled the guarantees in Aiyuk’s contract due to Aiyuk’s failure to attend meetings and participate in team activities in the past few months. Aiyuk told the NFLPA he doesn’t want to give San Francisco a run for his money.
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Kyle Shanahan said this is the first time in his memory that a player’s guarantee has been taken away.
December 2025: Shanahan told the media he has never seen Aiyuk “never” because the receiver remains away from the team and on the PUP list.
More:The 18 greatest players in 49ers history, ranked
Brandon Aiyuk Contract
After months of negotiations, Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension with the 49ers in the summer of 2024. The deal starts in 2025, so Aiyuk has three years left on his current contract, with an average annual salary of $30 million.
Under his original contract, the 49ers would have had to take on nearly $30 million in dead cap hit if they were to move on from Aiyuk this offseason. San Francisco could take the entire dead cap hit in 2026, or it could split it into $8 million in 2026 dead cap and $21 million in 2027.
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However, during training camp, the 49ers voided Aiyuk’s guaranteed money, allowing them to recoup most of his contract if they released him.
More:Revisiting the 49ers’ injury history timeline in recent years
