It’s been nearly a year since the San Francisco 49ers placed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list, and the two sides still can’t make a clean break.
The NFL reinstated Aiyuk on Monday, and commissioner Roger Goodell granted the 49ers a two-week roster exemption that expires Nov. 23. However, there’s still the matter of the $13 million in bonus money the 49ers contend Aiyuk owes them.
On Tuesday, his agent Drew Rosenhaus made it clear that bill hasn’t been paid — at least not yet.
Drew Rosenhaus Says Brandon Aiyuk Hasn’t Paid 49ers ‘Anything Yet’
Rosenhaus appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday and laid out where things stand, both with the money and with Aiyuk’s playing future.
“Brandon will either play for the 49ers when the two weeks is up or they can decide to release him, by which he will be a free agent and I expect that there will be interest in him,” Rosenhaus said. “I definitely expect him to play this season. Judging [by] the comments from coach [Kyle] Shanahan, it doesn’t sound like they plan on bringing Brandon back.
“So when the two weeks is over, it’s my job to potentially find a new team for him. And I’m confident, now that he’s healthy, that he will play. As far as the money that’s allegedly owed … the $13 million, whatever it is — he hasn’t paid anything yet. That’s something that we’ll work out separate and distinct from the issue of him playing. Hopefully we’ll work something out to the benefit of Brandon’s and something that’s fair. And that’s also part of my job.”
That’s not quite what Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believed earlier in the day.
Florio speculated that Aiyuk wired the 49ers a sizable payment — maybe $6 million or $7 million — to get the league to reinstate him.
The $13 million figure was first reported by The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero. The NFL then sent Aiyuk and the NFL Players Association a letter last Thursday informing them of the forfeiture, which is tied to bonuses from the four-year, $120 million extension he signed in August 2024, according to the Associated Press.
The 49ers had already voided roughly $27 million in 2026 guarantees, reportedly citing Aiyuk’s failure to attend meetings and refusal to participate in other team activities.
Brandon Aiyuk’s Next Team Could Be a Familiar One
Florio expected the 49ers to cut Aiyuk before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. That didn’t happen.
Aiyuk was neither traded nor released, and he figures to stay with the 49ers until the unpaid roster exemption expires. San Francisco instead acquired Keenan Allen from the Indianapolis Colts for a sixth-round pick — a pretty clear sign of where Aiyuk stands.
Shanahan didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat last week either.
“None. I have no expectation,” Shanahan said when asked if he expected Aiyuk to report. “I’ve kind of moved on with that mentally.”
Rosenhaus, who said Aiyuk passed his physical with the 49ers, already has an idea of where his client could end up.
“I think that in all likelihood Brandon would probably sign with a team that knows him, [with] somebody that has somehow been affiliated with him, either in college or the 49ers,” Rosenhaus said. “That’s just my guess ’cause, you know, there’s a lot of that in the NFL. You see people connect the dots where they [have] history, where there’s relationships.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect those dots.
Aiyuk lobbied on social media before this season for a move to the Washington Commanders and a reunion with quarterback Jayden Daniels, his former teammate at Arizona State. Commanders GM Adam Peters also used to work in the 49ers’ front office.
The 28-year-old Aiyuk hasn’t played since tearing the ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his right knee on Oct. 20, 2024. He has 294 catches for 4,305 yards and 25 touchdowns in his career, all with San Francisco.
His future will be decided by Nov. 23.
Brandon Aiyuk’s Agent Breaks Silence on Settling $13 Million Debt With 49ers