Brandon Aiyuk is officially back in the NFL. Just don’t expect the San Francisco 49ers to roll out the welcome mat.
The league reinstated the wide receiver from the reserve/left squad list on Monday after he reported to the team for a physical. The NFL also granted San Francisco a two-week roster exemption through Nov. 23, giving the 49ers more time to figure out their next move.
However, head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear that nothing has changed on his end, and he didn’t exactly mince words about it either.
Shanahan Continues to be Salty Toward Aiyuk
Shanahan was asked about Aiyuk during a conference call on Monday afternoon, one day after the 49ers’ 38-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. His answer was about as cold as it gets.
“The same as how I talked last time on him,” Shanahan said. “I was just told that by [EVP of communications] Corry [Rush] when I walked in. It means absolutely nothing to our team.”
Shanahan then brushed off the roster exemption as a formality.
“I think we’ve got a two-week roster exemption, so that’s all administrative stuff to me,” he added.
This isn’t a new stance for Shanahan either. When asked on Friday what he hoped would come out of Aiyuk’s meeting with the team, Shanahan said he “couldn’t care less.”
“It’s been over for our football team for a long time,” he added.
It’s easy to understand why things reached a boiling point.
Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension just before the 2024 season. He then tore his ACL and MCL in October 2024 and hasn’t played since. The 49ers voided $27 million in guaranteed money for 2026 after he skipped meetings and team activities during his rehab, and they placed him on the reserve/left squad list last December.
Aiyuk didn’t help his case either, taking to social media on several occasions to blast the organization.
Brandon Aiyuk’s NFL Future Still Up in the Air
Aiyuk insists he’s ready to play.
“I’m feeling great, feeling healthy,” he said before Friday’s meeting. “It was a long recovery process, a long rehab process, but I’m back to 100% and looking to get reinstated to the National Football League.”
Now that he has been, the 49ers have three options: trade him, release him, or add him to the 53-man roster.
The last one is a long shot, considering general manager John Lynch said back in January that Aiyuk had played his last snap for the team. San Francisco would prefer to trade him, but it hasn’t found a partner. The deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, giving them little time to find a deal.
That leaves a release as the most likely outcome.
However, it’s not that simple. The NFL informed Aiyuk last week that he owes the 49ers roughly $13 million in bonus money tied to his extension. The NFL Management Council and the NFLPA are also involved. The two sides could reach an agreement or end up in arbitration.
Aiyuk and agent Drew Rosenhaus met with the 49ers for about 75 minutes on Friday, but Rosenhaus offered little afterward beyond “to be continued.”
One thing is clear, though: whatever happens next, Shanahan has already moved on.
49ers Kyle Shanahan Has Ruthless Reaction to Brandon Aiyuk’s NFL Reinstatement