The San Francisco 49ers report to training camp this weekend, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is still under contract. Aiyuk's situation is one of the most bizarre in the salary cap era. He has nobody to blame but himself for his predicament.
The 2023 second team All-Pro's situation with the 49ers reached a point of no return last December when he was placed on the reserve/left squad list after going AWOL. It is rare for a team to put a player on the reserve/left squad list.
In order to be placed on the reserve/left squad list, a team must send a player who has left a letter warning him that he can be put on this list if he doesn't return within five days of his departure (i.e., a five-day letter). The player is prevented from playing for the rest of the season and isn't paid either once placed on this list. The player's contract also tolls, where it is frozen until he resumes playing.
Players on reserve/left squad are deemed retired, according to the NFL Constitution and Bylaws. A retired player must apply to the Commissioner for reinstatement where his last team retains his contractual rights.
Timeline of Brandon Aiyuk's 49ers saga
| Date/period | Development | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| August 2024 | Aiyuk signs a four-year, $120 million contract extension with the 49ers. | The deal ties him to San Francisco long-term after contentious negotiations. |
| 2024 season | Aiyuk tears the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee seven games into the season. | The injury complicates his trade value, market and leverage with other teams. |
| 2025 offseason | The 49ers reportedly explore Aiyuk trade, but the market is soft because of his knee injury. | San Francisco has limited options to move on cleanly while Aiyuk's future remains uncertain. |
| July 2025 | The 49ers void Aiyuk's $27 million in 2026 salary guarantees. | Reduces financial risk and gives the 49ers more leverage. |
| December 2025 | Aiyuk is placed on the reserve/left squad list after going AWOL. | Aiyuk is not paid and the 49ers retain his contractual rights. |
| 2026 offseason | Aiyuk reportedly has not started the reinstatement process. | Without reinstatement, he remains in football limbo and cannot simply move on to another team. |
| July 25, 2026 | The 49ers report to training camp with Aiyuk still under contract. | His path back to the NFL likely requires applying for reinstatement and reporting to San Francisco. |
Aiyuk likely would have been promptly released by applying for reinstatement at any time during the offseason workout program. The 49ers wouldn't have wanted to be on the hook for $26.15 million of his $27 million 2026 salary if he got hurt on their watch. Had Aiyuk taken this approach, he probably would be with another team, eager to prove that there aren't any ill effects from tearing the ACL, MCL and meniscus.
Aiyuk chose to spend his time posting videos and messages on social media rather than taking constructive steps to accelerate his departure from the 49ers. It is believed that Aiyuk still hasn't started the reinstatement process. He has vowed that he will never set foot in the 49ers' facility.
"I will not be reinstating with [the 49ers] nor doing any kind of business with them," Aiyuk said via 49ers Web Zone recently. That's probably going to be a necessity for Aiyuk to resume his NFL career.
Aiyuk took a scorched-earth approach with his social media posts. He is playing the victim and isn't taking any responsibility for his circumstances.
Aiyuk revealed that he rehabbed his knee injury away from the 49ers, which wasn't their preference, and didn't stay in contact with the team during the process. This set the stage for the beginning of the end of Aiyuk's tenure in San Francisco. Under the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, injured players may be required to report to training camp up to five days before the mandatory reporting date for veterans. Given Aiyuk's rehab choices, he should have expected the 49ers to exercise this right.
Voided guarantees and the 49ers' leverage
The 49ers voided the $27 million in 2026 salary guarantees late last July in the four-year, $120 million contract extension Aiyuk signed at the end of August 2024. Contract guarantees are typically voided for an exhaustive list of defaults by a player. Aiyuk has the exact same default language in his contract as All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa and Pro Bowl quarterback Brock Purdy.
The most logical explanation is that the voiding resulted from Aiyuk breaching his contract by refusing to show up to training camp early, as required, due to his injury. The 49ers certainly aren't the only NFL team that would have taken this course of action if in those same shoes. Aiyuk also incurred a mandatory $50,000 fine for each day of training camp he missed.
The 49ers already had buyer's remorse about giving Aiyuk a contract extension after contentious negotiations in which he requested a trade and was a training camp hold in. Aiyuk was reportedly put on the trading block at the beginning of the 2025 offseason, but there was a soft trade market because of his knee injury.
Curiously, Aiyuk informed the NFLPA that he didn't want to fight the voiding of his guarantees. Aiyuk alleges that the NFLPA has engaged in a smear campaign to tarnish his image.
That's hard to believe.
It's the NFLPA's job to protect players' rights. The NFLPA will routinely file a grievance on behalf of a player when a team voids salary guarantees, including cases where there isn't a great likelihood of prevailing. Knowing the NFLPA is going to fight can deter teams from overreaching in the future.
Aiyuk blamed his former agent, Athletes First's Ryan Williams, for his problems with the 49ers during the latter part of June. Williams also represents 49ers general manager John Lynch. He was Lynch's marketing agent during his playing career.
Representing a player and a general manager on the same team can be viewed as a conflict of interest. It's permissible under the NFLPA's agent regulations. The agent is required to disclose to the player, in writing, the NFL coaches and front-office personnel he also represents, in an addendum to the representation agreements of players he signs.
Aiyuk claimed he fired Williams in November. Williams was still listed as Aiyuk's agent of record by the NFLPA until the end of June, when Aiyuk sent a written notice as required by their agent regulations. Presumably, Aiyuk told Williams verbally last November that his services were no longer needed. Although Williams hadn't received a termination letter, it's understandable that he wouldn't be trying to protect Aiyuk's interest anymore after such a conversation.
There wasn't anything preventing Williams from making the split official at any time by sending Aiyuk a termination letter. For example, Antonio Brown and Johnny Manziel were fired by their respective agents.
I don't doubt that Aiyuk was told by the NFLPA and/or Williams that he would be released in early June at the latest. That was likely before Aiyuk went AWOL. The 49ers are less inclined to reward what can reasonably be viewed as negative behavior.
Why the Commanders may no longer be a simple landing spot
It would be in Aiyuk's best interest to get a new agent. At the very least, he should hire a former team executive for a flat fee or on an hourly basis, because his approach on his own is counterproductive.
A new agent or the team executive would surely give Aiyuk the same advice. He needs to apply for reinstatement to get off the reserve/left squad list and show up for training camp. Until Aiyuk does, he will remain in football limbo. The 49ers can effectively squat on his rights where he won't be paid, including a $24.935 million option bonus due Sept. 1 for a fake/dummy 2030 contract year since his contract continues to be tolled. As soon as Aiyuk reports to the 49ers, he will probably be released within the next 24 hours to avoid the payment, since the money is unsecured.
Aiyuk has openly campaigned to play for the Washington Commanders. He just announced on social media that he purchased a home in Northern Virginia for $10 million. That may no longer be an option. Aiyuk appears to have burned a bridge with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has been a close friend since their playing days together at Arizona State in 2019, and his mother. It's conceivable that Aiyuk and Daniels were trolling the public or have quietly made up behind the scenes.
Aiyuk's eagerness to play specifically for one team and his social media antics have undermined his contract leverage. His best-case scenario, considering his injury, if he had been acting more professionally, probably would have been a one-year contract similar to Odell Beckham Jr.'s in 2023 after missing the entire 2022 season recovering from tearing the ACL in his left knee for a second time during Super Bowl LVI. Beckham signed a one-year, $15 million contract worth up to $18 million through incentives with the Baltimore Ravens.
It wouldn't be surprising for Aiyuk to sign an incentive-laden one-year deal at or near his $1.215 million league minimum salary. Of course, that's predicated on Aiyuk getting reinstated. There is some speculation that Aiyuk's social media posts have raised enough red flags to deter any team from signing him.
Sometimes, silence is golden. Aiyuk should start taking that notion to heart if he's truly interested in resuming his NFL career.
