It's been over 18 months since Brandon Aiyuk last played in the NFL, and if he doesn't learn the NFL rule book soon, he might not ever play again.
Over the past few weeks, the receiver has been busy posting constant videos and messages on Instagram about his situation with the San Francisco 49ers. Earlier this week, he posted a statement that should certainly raise some eyebrows, and that's because, if he sticks to what he said, then that means his NFL career would essentially be over.
The problem with Aiyuk's latest comment
The situation between Aiyuk and the 49ers has been boiling over for months and it started to get ugly last December when San Francisco placed him on the reserve/left squad list. When you're on that list, a team doesn't have to pay you and you don't count against the active roster. If a player is placed on that list, they have to apply for reinstatement with the NFL if they want to get back on the team's active roster and that's where things get interesting here, because Aiyuk made it clear this week that he's NOT going to apply.
"I will not be reinstating with [the 49ers] nor ever doing any kind of business with them," Aiyuk wrote, via 49ers Web Zone. "I'm locked in and focused on my opportunity to return to the field this season!"
What Aiyuk doesn't seem to realize is that he won't be allowed to "return to the field this season" if he doesn't apply for reinstatement and if he's not willing to work with the 49ers to do that, then his career is effectively over. With Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list, the 49ers can simply squat on his rights and it costs them nothing, so they would have no motivation to trade him or cut him. And since the 49ers own his rights, it's not like Aiyuk can go sign with another team.
Aiyuk has made it clear that he wants to play for the Commanders, but even that option might be off the table after his recent spat with Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels. Despite that, former NFL general manager Ran Carthon, who worked in the 49ers' front office when Aiyuk was drafted in 2020, still thinks Washington makes the most sense for the receiver.
Carthon laid out his reasons on the latest episode of the With the First Pick podcast.
"Is the Washington Commanders a good fit? Yeah," Carthon said. "Because they need a guy opposite of Terry McLaurin and [Aiyuk] has a relationship with the GM and the quarterback, so yeah, it makes sense."
The Commanders' general manager is Adam Peters, who worked in the 49ers' front office with Carthon for six seasons. Of course, if Aiyuk wants to play for the Commanders [or any team], he'll first have to get things worked out with the 49ers.
Aiyuk only has one option
If Aiyuk wants to play in the NFL this year, he only has one option: He's eventually going to have to get in touch with the 49ers. The biggest thing working in Aiyuk's favor is that he has a $24.935 million option bonus that's due to him on Sept. 1, and there's no way the 49ers are going to pay that. If Aiyuk is on the reserve/left squad list, the 49ers don't have to pay him. But if he files for reinstatement and shows up for training camp on July 25, that will force the 49ers to make a move.
At that point, Aiyuk would only get the option bonus if he were still on the roster as of Sept. 1, so the 49ers would almost certainly release him before that. As a matter of fact, the 49ers would likely cut him as soon as he shows up, because they wouldn't want to risk any sort of injury (If Aiyuk showed up and got injured in practice or doing a workout, then the 49ers would be on the hook for any salary that's guaranteed for injury).
So Aiyuk's one option is simple: He has to show up.
OK, for most people, that would be simple, but not for Aiyuk. As we mentioned earlier, he's made it clear he doesn't want to do any business with the 49ers ever again. Aiyuk has been spending a lot of time on his phone over the past few weeks, and we know this because of his constant Instagram updates. He should just take his phone and call the 49ers to let them know he'll be at training camp.
Aiyuk's career is definitely at a crossroads, and if he's not willing to apply for reinstatement, then he won't play another down in the NFL.
How the drama started between Aiyuk and the 49ers
During the 2024 offseason, Aiyuk was looking to get a contract extension, and to say things got ugly would be an understatement. In June 2024, Aiyuk told Daniels that the 49ers didn't want him back. That set the stage for a contentious negotiation that didn't end until late August, when Aiyuk agreed to a four-year, $120 million deal, a contract that has essentially haunted the 49ers since the day it was signed.
After signing the deal, Aiyuk played in just seven games before tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus in October 2024, and he hasn't played for the 49ers since. Apparently, Aiyuk wasn't showing up for his rehab work because, in July 2025, the 49ers voided his guaranteed money for the 2026 season. The decision to void the guarantees, which cost Aiyuk more than $25 million, didn't become public until November 2025. The team said Aiyuk wasn't meeting the requirements of his contract extension, which gave them the right to void the money.
The soap opera took another turn in December 2025 when Aiyuk was placed on the reserve/left squad list, officially ending his season. Aiyuk averaged 982 receiving yards per year in his first four seasons with the 49ers and was on pace for 902 yards before he got injured in 2024, but after everything that transpired last year, the 49ers decided that they had seen enough.
In January, John Lynch put the final nail in the coffin for Aiyuk's time in San Francisco. The 49ers general manager made it clear that Aiyuk had "played his last snap" for the franchise.
Earlier this offseason, there was some speculation that the 49ers might trade Aiyuk, but his trade value is almost zero at this point, so they'd likely have a tough time finding a partner.
Aiyuk could have shown up for OTAs, but he decided to stay away from the team this offseason. The former first-round pick has managed to stay in the headlines this offseason with a constant barrage of social media videos that usually involve him ripping the 49ers.
Carthon advised fans to give Aiyuk the benefit of the doubt.
"Humanize these guys instead of looking at them as a product and whether they're on your favorite team or not," Carthon said. "So, if you love Brandon Aiyuk for everything he did for you as the Niner faithful, show the man some grace, you know, show the man some grace."
At this point, Aiyuk can rip the team all he wants, but nothing is going to get done unless he applies for reinstatement and then shows up for training camp. If he doesn't do those two things, then the 49ers can just ignore him and let his NFL career come to an unceremonious end.
