The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk haven’t exactly had the best relationship over the last few years, but when Aiyuk received a massive four-year, $120 million extension ahead of the 2024 season, everything looked to be cleared up.
However, after The Athletic reported on Friday that San Francisco voided Aiyuk’s guaranteed money for 2026 and that the two sides are headed for a split at the end of the 2025 season, that’s clearly not the case.
On Saturday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Aiyuk’s contract situation, and he revealed that the money was actually voided during the offseason.
“Yes, that happened back in July, though,” Shanahan said. “So that was other things, but as far as missing meetings, things like that, any injured player, or people who are on IR or doing rehab, their schedules are totally different than the rest of the team. Sometimes they’re involved in meetings. Sometimes they’re not at all. I’m not going to go through each thing with him, but anytime a guy’s on IR, they’re not in the daily routine of meetings.”
Shanahan also clarified that the missed meetings during the season have nothing to do with his contract, but he refused to share exactly what led to the voided money while admitting that he’s never seen that before in his coaching career.
While Aiyuk’s future is still unclear, the coach is still waiting for the receiver to return to the field and work this season after suffering a gruesome knee injury in Week 7 last year.
“[He’s] week-to-week. Hopefully, he can clear all the markers so he can come back and start practicing,” Shanahan said.
Aiyuk still isn’t medically cleared to go, and with only seven weeks left in the season, there isn’t much time left for him to make an impact. Despite Shanahan’s public desire to get Aiyuk back on the field, the wideout may have played his final down with the 49ers.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Kyle Shanahan still hopes for Brandon Aiyuk’s return in 2025
Reporting by Mike Masala, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
