The dramatic saga between wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers has been ongoing since the team's Super Bowl loss in 2024, but it seems like it could be coming to an end soon.
Reporting in The Athletic suggests the Niners plan on releasing Aiyuk after this season and that they have voided his guaranteed money for 2026 because he was not attending meetings as he rehabs from his major knee injury suffered last season.
As San Francisco was negotiating his contract extension after the 2023 season, his antics led to trade talks with other teams. This line from the article in The Athletic stands out:
"The 49ers negotiated trade scenarios with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, but Aiyuk was reluctant to sign extensions with those teams, effectively ending the chances of a deal."
Brandon Aiyuk did not want to be traded to Patriots
Others have brought up reporting at the time that Aiyuk did not want to go to New England because he was not thrilled about the quarterback situation there. At that time, the Patriots had Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye as their quarterbacks. New England went 4-13 last year, so Aiyuk can be forgiven for not wanting to enter that situation.
Fast forward just one season, though, and head coach Mike Vrabel has turned the team around as the Patriots are 9-2 and Maye is thought of by some as a MVP candidate.
Aiyuk had no way to foresee that, but the Pats were reportedly willing to give him over $30 million per season. Now he is probably going to be released and will most likely have to sign a one-year deal with a team as he tries to prove he still has it coming off his injury.
While there has been speculation all year about whether Aiyuk would return for the Niners, it seems as of late even players on the roster have accepted the fact that he is not returning.
It is unfortunate on the one hand because Aiyuk was so great in 2023 and we saw how good he can be in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, but he off-the-field antics just do not jive with what the Niners are trying to do and what they want to accomplish.
He could have had a sweet situation in New England, but now he is likely going to be a free agent looking for a new home this offseason.