It’s been 15 months since wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk played in a game for the San Francisco 49ers. A divorce felt inevitable, and general manager John Lynch confirmed it Wednesday.
“I think it’s safe to say he’s played his last snap with the 49ers,” Lynch told reporters in his end-of-season news conference, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.
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In December, Aiyuk was placed on the reserve/left squad list. That move officially ended a season that never began for the 2023 second-team All-Pro, who came out of a contract dispute that featured a hold-in with a four-year extension reportedly worth $120 million ahead of a 2024 campaign that ended prematurely.
Aiyuk, 27, hasn’t suited up for the Niners since he tore both the ACL and MCL in his right knee during a Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 20, 2024.
He spent most of this season on the physically unable to perform list. While his return timeline was murky this summer, he was expected to come back at some point and give San Francisco a boost on the outside.
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But as the 49ers navigated other injuries across their roster this season, they reportedly grew increasingly frustrated with Aiyuk. The receiver, whom San Francisco selected No. 25 overall out of Arizona State in the 2020 draft, had failed to participate in meetings and other team activities, according to a Nov. 21 report from The Athletic, which noted that the 49ers responded to Aiyuk’s absences and lack of communication by voiding the guaranteed money in his contract for 2026.
That also paved the way for Aiyuk to be released at the end of the season. He told NFL Players Association reps that he didn’t want to file an official grievance against the move, per The Athletic.
Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan’s commentary about the Aiyuk situation Wednesday confirmed the behavior The Athletic’s report described, per David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard. As for why Aiyuk’s relationship with the franchise waned?
“I wish I knew. I can’t help you,” Lynch said, according to Lombardi, who also reported that Shanahan added, “It’s confusing for all of us. … We still don’t understand it very well.”
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Even after The Athletic’s November report came out, Shanahan said he still hoped for an eventual reunion with Aiyuk. The 6-foot, 200-pound wideout had stitched together back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2022 and 2023, after all.
His 2023 stat line — 75 receptions, 1,342 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns — helped him receive his lucrative extension.
But things went downhill from there. Last season, he got hurt. The 49ers never activated Aiyuk this season. And now he’s headed toward free agency.
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