As of Monday, July 27, Brandon Aiyuk is still on the San Francisco 49ers.
However, he has been very adamant about wanting to be off the team, and now that NFL training camp is underway for most teams, the Brandon Aiyuk-49ers situation could start to gain traction after a long offseason of various antics from the star wide receiver, who claims he is finally healthy and wants to make an impact with the Washington Commanders.
Aiyuk has been very clear about wanting to play for the Commanders, but it’s unclear if A. Washington wants him on their team, and B. if the 49ers want to either release Brandon Aiyuk or try to work out a trade.
Recently, New York Times writers Matt Barrows and Nicki Jhabvala tried to get to the bottom of it, and what it means for the 49ers.
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Latest on the Brandon Aiyuk-49ers Saga
GettySANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 20: Brandon Aiyuk #11 of the San Francisco 49ers drops a pass in front of Trent McDuffie #22 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Brandon Aiyuk has not played an NFL game since 2024, and even during that season, he only played seven games.
Before the 2024 season, after a drawn-out NFL free agency, Aiyuk finally inked a four-year, $120 million deal with the 49ers.
GM John Lynch (of course) was obviously asked about the Brandon Aiyuk situation when originally taking questions from the media, but he deflected it by saying, “We’re going to focus on the players that are here.”
The NYT writers wrote (about Aiyuk’s eventful summer on social media):
“Aiyuk, 28, has spent much of the summer criticizing Lynch, coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers on social media. The flood of posts followed months of speculation around if and when the team would release Aiyuk after the 49ers placed him on its seldom-used reserve/left squad list in December.”
What makes the situation a little bit bizarre on the side of the 49ers is the fact that John Lynch did note that Brandon Aiyuk would likely not play another snap with the team, so why not just release him, or find a trade partner who will give up like a seventh-rounder? Well, that’s where Brandon Aiyuk’s antics come in, because it’s very easy to see why no team would want him on their squad after this summer.
Per the NYT piece, here are some of the things that Aiyuk posted over the summer months (and these are still ongoing outrages)
“They mad ’cause they stupid, they dumb,” Aiyuk said in a June Instagram video. “They mad that they paid me $50 million in eight months.”
In a series of posts on July 4, Aiyuk appeared to take a swipe at [Commanders’ QB Jayden]Daniels.
“‘5’ gonna text me talking about some, ‘You’re on my team, now. You follow my rules,’” Aiyuk said in a video on his Instagram account. “Boy, I’m a grown-ass man, boy. You gonna have to start running behind your momma and I might believe what you talking about. But until then, mmm-mmm.”
What Role Does Brandon Aiyuk’s ACL Tear Play in All of This
GettyINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Quarterback Brandon Aiyuk #11 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at SoFi Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
In week seven of 2024, Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL.
In the NFL, those types of ligament damage injuries to players, especially receivers, can have a very negative impact on their careers. Well, many teams may believe that Brandon Aiyuk’s prime is way past him (as a 28-year-old receiver), which very well could be the case, and it’s a pretty cut-throat industry, so why not go with younger, faster talent, rather than having to A. pay Brandon Aiyuk, and B. deal with his off-field antics?
“We are 1 year from the date in which they made the decision to void my guarantees due to ‘missed rehab,’” Brandon Aiyuk posted on July 7. “Yet they have the footage and the gps information that shows I reached markers I never hit even before injury. All before the recovery time required by the surgeon.”
Brandon Aiyuk’s career stats are: 69 games played, 294 catches, 4305 receiving yards, 25 touchdowns, five total seasons.
In 2024, across those seven games, he hauled in 25 catches for 374 yards and zero touchdowns. He was once the best Y/C wide receiver in all of football.
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