The San Francisco 49ers haven’t gotten much from Brandon Aiyuk in more than a year. He was a headache in the offseason, leading back to last season, and then a non-factor as soon as he finally agreed to sign a deal.
Now, the former All-Pro wideout is looking at a generational bag fumble. The team will void some future guarantees in his contract because he simply refused to be a team player.
Even so, head coach Kyle Shanahan won’t shut the door on him. When asked about Aiyuk and potentially making amends, Shanahan left the door open for the troublemaking pass catcher to stay with the team:
“What happened in July, in my opinion, doesn’t have anything to do with the future. When it comes to the future of this, I would love for BA to be here. I would love for him to get healthy and get back to really helping us out and being a part of this team. I still hold out hope that he can get there, but he obviously hasn’t gotten there yet,” Shanahan said.
Kyle Shanahan says that lawyers got involved with Brandon Aiyuk’s contract being voided in July.
He also says what happened in July has no status on Brandon Aiyuk’s future with the team.
“When it comes to the future of this, I would love for BA to be here.” pic.twitter.com/aGiKZkwZb0
— Alex Tran (@nineralex) November 22, 2025
Truth be told, the Niners might have just dodged a bullet with this. Aiyuk clearly didn’t want to be there, and he put it upon himself to make life quite uncomfortable when he was trying to force his way out of the team.
From trying to handpick his next destination to ultimately signing a deal after turning down those same terms, it was always a matter of leverage and sending a message. That’s a lot to deal with for a player who has been okay for most of his career and great for just one season.
He’s now coming off a major injury with no guarantees that he will ever be a star again. And with the way he’s dealt with all these situations, there’s just no reason to believe he’s going to give this team anything more than trouble if they don’t cut him loose.
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