The impending separation between the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk marks the final chapter of one of the most drawn-out, complex situations in recent NFL history.
While the public narrative centers on a massive contract dispute, a grueling injury rehab, skipping practice and social media jabs, former 49ers All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman believes the true cracks in the foundation of the relationship between team and player formed much earlier than anyone realized.
Sherman, who played with the 49ers during Aiyuk’s rookie season in 2020, said on the Richard Sherman Podcast, that the resentment began building before Super Bowl LVIII, when the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024.
“It probably started even before the Super Bowl,” Sherman said. “Brandon Aiyuk played well in the Super Bowl and created separation and felt like he was open a lot more than he got the ball. He felt like he individually could have impacted that game in a greater way and helped them win a Super Bowl.”
That lingering frustration set the stage for a tumultuous 2024 offseason. Aiyuk staged an elongated contract standoff before finally putting pen to paper on a four-year, $120 million extension. But according to Sherman, the lucrative new contract couldn’t erase the internal damage.
“At that point, you got to buy back in,” Sherman said. “And I don’t think Brandon ever bought back in. I think the bitterness, the resentment, the frustration, the anger just kept eating away at him.”
The situation grew drastically worse just seven weeks into the 2024 season. On October 20, 2024, Aiyuk suffered a devastating torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus against the Chiefs. What followed was a complete communication breakdown. Aiyuk failed to show up for team rehab obligations through the 2025 season, leading the 49ers to void portions of his guaranteed money and eventually place him on the reserve list.
Now, with the team prepared to officially part ways ahead of training camp, Sherman agreed that the relationship had grown too fractured to salvage. And now the 49ers have to plan for real life without their former superstar receiver.
“Yeah, I mean they have to be better off right now,” Sherman said. “It’s just unfortunate because, you know, at his best when when things are great, he’s a good human being. He’s a great player… but we haven’t seen him on the field outside of a few warm-ups pregame and things like that in almost two years. So that matters. Like you’re coming off an ACL.”
The 49ers are in no rush to release him yet, and the receiver is reportedly “untradeable”, but that doesn’t mean the team isn’t holding out hope that another club will offer something for Aiyuk. In his place, the 49ers added Mike Evans and Christian Kirk in free agency and drafted De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round to play alongside Ricky Pearsall.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Ex-49ers star says rift with Brandon Aiyuk started before Super Bowl
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Niners Wire | USA TODAY Network
