Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has filed for reinstatement, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

Aiyuk has not played in the NFL since 2024, and after turmoil between him and the San Francisco 49ers during that time, his next snap almost certainly won’t be with the team that drafted him in 2020.

Aiyuk tore his meniscus, ACL, and MCL, which kept him out for a lengthy period, but his failure to fulfill team duties, such as reporting his progress, attending team meetings, and check-ins, cost him roughly $27 million in guaranteed earnings and a spot on the left squad list.

The 49ers will likely release Aiyuk once the paperwork goes through. The team has been adamant that they are not open to him returning to San Francisco.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said “no” when asked whether he’d be open to making up with Aiyuk after he openly voiced his displeasure with the thought of “doing business with the team.”

As for where Aiyuk is headed next, who knows? He talked about playing for the Washington Commanders with former teammate Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, but the team isn’t really looking for a receiver right now.

Other possibilities include him being released and not signing with a team until the offseason, or the 49ers trading him before the deadline on Tuesday, November 10. The team has not been successful in those attempts in the past.

Aiyuk, 28, had back-to-back 1,000-yard-plus seasons in the two years previous to his injury. He is not old by any means, and there is certainly a reason to take a chance on him for many teams given his upside. The two concerns on everyone’s mind when considering signing or trading for him will be how he’s handled the situation in San Francisco, and the fact that tearing all those ligaments can certainly leave players coming back as a shell of themselves.

On Thursday, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension after a protracted battle with team management. 

Aiyuk did not attend practice Wednesday despite receiving medical clearance. With the regular season looming, Aiyuk was still holding out for a contract extension.

In an internal team PR interview Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he hoped that Aiyuk would be available to practice. He also said that he did not know if the wide receiver would be ready to go Week 1, even if he did rejoin the team this week.

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything,” Shanahan said when asked about Aiyuk’s availability. “I’ve been working on the 53, the practice squad. I haven’t talked to him. I know he’s been cleared by our doctors. So, I hope that he is out there practicing today.”

Reporters waited for some sign of Aiyuk after the team’s optimistic report, but the 26-year-old did not attend, continuing his holdout. At one point earlier this summer, he was reportedly seeking a new deal on par with Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown, who inked a four-year, $120 million deal in April.

With salary cap issues on the horizon, the 49ers were very hesitant to offer Aiyuk a similar deal. With Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel all providing plenty of firepower on offense, there have also been questions as to Aiyuk’s true value on an elite roster. 

It seemed like the fifth-year receiver would be traded for a time, with New England, Cleveland and Pittsburgh all rumored to have made offers. These deals failed as well, however, stranding Aiyuk on the team.  

It is hard to imagine a scenario in which both sides can return to normal operations quickly. There will be the issue of preparedness, as Aiyuk has missed the entire preseason and may have trouble adjusting to football in the regular season.

Getting ready for action will be one thing, but emotions and hard feelings may also play a role. The 49ers are currently favored to return to the Super Bowl, and despite their vast arsenal on offense, Aiyuk has been a key contributor to the team’s success. He will now have to contribute to the team’s future.

The Brandon Aiyuk circus continues for another week.

Shortly after the San Francisco 49ers allowed Aiyuk to seek a trade, the Pittsburgh Steelers created an agreement with the WR on a contract and a trade. However, the 49ers reversed course and engaged in long-term contract extension talks with the 26-year-old. Now, all three sides are at a standstill, with the regular season rapidly approaching, and Aiyuk is still not participating in the 49ers training camp.

Aiyuk has one year remaining on his rookie deal, paying him just south of $15 million. With the explosion of the wide receiver market, the Arizona State alum believes he can cash in. He almost earned a new contract from the New England Patriots, but he nixed that deal, not wanting to be a part of a long rebuild. The Cleveland Browns are also rumored to be interested in Aiyuk, but they seem out of the running compared to their other AFC rivals.

The Steelers are beginning a new era under center, signing Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields in the offseason. Head coach Mike Tomlin wants to give the new QB another weapon besides WR George Pickens to balance the offense.

Meanwhile, the 49ers seemed disinterested in signing Aiyuk to an extension until this past week. The team locked down multiple offensive stars, such as RB Christain McCaffery, WR Deebo Samuel, and TE George Kittle, leaving little cap space to re-sign Aiyuk. But, after months of trade rumors and a war of words, including Aiyuk making publically clear he wants to play with former teammate Jayden Daniels with the Washington Commanders, the two sides are mending fences.

Aiyuk led the 49ers in receiving yards last season with 1,342, along with the most targets with 105, 15 more than the next player. San Francisco took him in the 1st round with the 25th pick during the 2020 draft. General manager John Lynch used his first-round pick on WR Ricky Pearsall in case Aiyuk left town.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is still on the trade block, but the team has reportedly not yet received an acceptable offer. The Browns and Patriots are both considered contenders to acquire Aiyuk, while several reports claim that the Steelers and Commanders have prepared offers as well.

The relationship between Aiyuk and the 49ers has become somewhat icy in recent months, as the wide receiver has tried but failed to negotiate a considerable contract extension. Aiyuk, who will make $14 million in 2024, wants a multi-year deal on par with other star receivers like Amon-Ra St. Brown, but San Francisco has hesitated to meet these requests. As a result, the receiver has requested to be sent elsewhere.

In Aiyuk’s trade request, several insiders reported that he approved of being sent to four teams. The Commanders have not yet made a serious offer. The Browns reportedly considered a deal that involved star receiver Amari Cooper, while the Patriots made an offer involving Kendrick Bourne. Neither conversation has resulted in a finalized trade.

Pittsburgh, who originally abandoned talks, stepped back in this week as a new suitor. The Steelers’ original issue was price, as the team did not seem willing to include a player in their offer. Instead, the team wished to use draft picks to acquire the star. It is unclear whether that stance has softened in new talks, but reports have surfaced that San Francisco may be seeking at least two first round picks in such an arrangement.

The 49ers’ offense remains stacked with or without Aiyuk, which is likely a motivating factor in the team’s decision to deny his contract demands. Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings figure to get more targets down the sidelines, while tight end George Kittle remains a key threat as well. Meanwhile, running back Christian McCaffrey leads the offense from the backfield as the NFL’s top rusher.

Aiyuk finished the 2023 season with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, cementing him as one of the best at his position. The 49ers’ future seems secure, but with less than a month until the 2024 season begins, the path forward for Aiyuk is anything but.

Brandon Aiyuk continues to try to force his way out of San Francisco.

The 49ers WR posted a video on his TikTok watching film of the Washington Commanders as he enters the final year of his contract. Aiyuk will make $14.1 million in the upcoming season.

The former Arizona State pass-catcher took to social media throughout the off-season to publicly express his dissatisfaction. A month ago, he went on TikTok and said, “The 49ers do not want me back, I swear,” among other antics, such as unfollowing members of the franchise on social media.

However, since QB Jayden Daniels arrived in Washington, the cries have grown louder. Daniels and Aiyuk played together in Tempe before Daniels transferred, and Aiyuk went pro, but they remained friends. Each has made it public that they would like to play on the same team at the NFL level, expressed on their multiple TikToks and social media videos together. Washington took Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Aiyuk’s displeasure stems from the lack of positive extension talks with the 49ers. In recent years, his teammates received new deals, such as RB Christian McCaffrey making four-year, $64 million, a record-breaking contract for a player at his position, and WR Deebo Samuel getting a three-year, $71 million a few years ago.

However, GM John Lynch appears unwilling to extend Aiyuk at the dollar value he thinks he deserves. With Justin Jefferson re-setting the wide receiver market earlier in the off-season, Aiyuk’s demands seemingly changed. The position has become more expensive each off-season, and Lynch cannot pay everyone.

Aiyuk, taken with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, has improved statistically each season in the league. Last year, he finished the season with 1,342 yards, his most in a campaign and his first time having back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He thrives in HC Kyle Shanahan‘s offense, where he lines up in multiple positions and gets the ball in space.

The ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have reached a standstill, raising questions about his future with the team.

This uncertainty was highlighted by a recent TikTok video featuring Aiyuk in a lighthearted FaceTime call with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

In the video, Aiyuk’s girlfriend, Rochelle Searight, is seen holding a camera and expressing her surprise at being involved in a TikTok post. This casual moment contrasts sharply with the gravity of Aiyuk’s contractual situation, which has become a hot topic in the NFL community.

The clip was shared a day after ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported a stall in negotiations between Aiyuk and the 49ers.

Aiyuk, who recorded an impressive 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns last season, has not participated in the team’s mandatory minicamp as he seeks a new deal. Despite the 49ers picking up his fifth-year option for the 2024 season, Aiyuk remains a potential trade candidate before the November deadline.

His absence from minicamp and public moves—unfollowing the 49ers on Instagram and using Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown’s contract as a benchmark—signal his dissatisfaction with the current negotiations.

General Manager John Lynch has expressed the team’s desire to retain Aiyuk in the long term. In an April press conference, Lynch said, “I’ve communicated on many occasions: our wish is that he’s here and part of the Niners for the rest of his career. We’re working through that … I can say we’re having good talks, and I’m just going to leave it at that.”

The situation is complicated by the 49ers’ selection of wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. This move suggests the team is preparing for a future that may not include Aiyuk despite his critical role in their offense.

Aiyuk’s use of St. Brown’s lucrative four-year, $120.01 million extension with the Lions as a reference point indicates his expectations for a substantial financial commitment from the 49ers. This benchmark highlights the wide gap between Aiyuk’s market value and what the 49ers might be willing or able to offer.

As the 2024 season approaches, the uncertainty surrounding Aiyuk’s future remains a crucial storyline for the 49ers. Whether he stays in San Francisco or moves to a new team, his decision will have significant implications for the 49ers’ roster and their pursuit of another Super Bowl appearance.

The San Francisco 49ers re-signed wide receiver Juaun Jennings Wednesday to a two-year contract worth $10.5 million guaranteed. With fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk holding out, Jennings is not San Francisco’s most important negotiating partner this off-season, but the 26-year-old has been reliable for the team in his first three NFL seasons.

If the 49ers had successfully defeated the Chiefs in the Super Bowl back in February, Jennings would have gone down in history as a postseason hero.

After making just 19 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown in the 2023 regular season, he contributed to two scores in the Super Bowl, throwing one to running back Christian McCaffrey on a trick play and catching one in the end zone himself later in the game. San Francisco lost in overtime, however.

Based on a number of incentives in his new contract, Jennings could eventually make nearly $16 million from his new deal. His return to San Francisco is not a huge splash for a team with so much offensive firepower, but the Tennessee product has provided stability to the team in the past and is obviously a welcome presence among his teammates.

“I think every single person in the NFL that watches tape, every general manager, every scout, anybody that watches tape, they look at Jauan’s film and they’re like, ‘Holy cow, this guy is one of one,'” 49ers tight end George Kittle said.

While Jennings prepares to report to training camp this summer, Aiyuk remains sidelined while he and the 49ers negotiate a much bigger deal. Though he still has a year (worth $14.1 million) remaining on his rookie contract, he is skipping training camp in order to secure a long-term extension.

Aiyuk stepped up in 2023 to become the 49ers’ leading receiver, and now he seems to be looking for a deal to match that status. He is reportedly looking for something in line with the four-year, $120 million contract the Lions gave receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown last month.

Brandon Aiyuk, the San Fransisco 49ers’ star receiver, discussed his future in the league this week in an appearance on The Nightcap podcast with former NFL wide receivers Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco.

“I’m trying to get what I deserve,” Aiyuk said. “I feel like this season, this season playing football, I figured out who I was as a person and a player — what I bring to the table, what I bring to the locker room, what I bring to the organization. The value I hold when I walk in that building. People gonna follow me because I’ve done it the right way since I’ve been in that building. From the first day I walked in there to when I was in there earlier this morning. If they don’t see the worth in that, that’s all it is. It ain’t nothing else besides that. I can’t get into it. We got professionals working on both sides, so hopefully we can come to a professional agreement to continue playing professional football.”

Aiyuk’s message came after Niners general manager John Lynch spoke to reporters regarding his future, as he has been a frequent talking point in 49ers news this offseason.

“Nothing’s going on there,” Lynch said in response to trade rumors linking Aiyuk to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, Lynch suggested that the two sides were “actively talking” about an extension to Aiyuk’s contract as the 2024-25 season will be the final year of his current deal.

Aiyuk didn’t get too specific on where he stands with his contract during the podcast but appreciated it when Ochocinco said he thinks he deserves to make $30-32 million a year before saying that he believes Aiyuk has proven his value and the 49ers should agree.

Aiyuk’s production for the 49ers has been great since he joined them as the 25th overall draft pick in 2020. In the last two seasons, he’s stepped up with 153 catches for 2,357 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has played as a WR2 behind Deebo Samuel and a crucial piece of one of the most dangeours offenses in the league. The 49ers have proven that they can contend for a Super Bowl and Aiyuk will be a key part of the process if they plan to get back there and bring the Lombardi trophy home to San Fransisco.