Brandon Aiyuk timeline: Every incident where things went sour with 49ers

Sadly, the full book on wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's drama-filled tenure with the San Francisco 49ers isn't quite fully written.

But the bulk of said book certainly is, and it's not a pleasant read.

The Niners' Round 1 pick from the 2020 NFL Draft started off promising, and he emerged as the primary go-to receiver for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which led to a notion his 2024 contract extension would be a foregone conclusion.

Except the signs of a relational rupture were there well before contract talks kicked off, which ended up snowballing into a cascade of back-and-forth drama-filled moments that Hollywood couldn't have conceived.

While there's no shortage of Aiyuk content out there in light of his standoff with San Francisco, let's put all of that into one place, so (hopefully soon) when his time in the Bay Area is officially over, fans can look back and recall just how tumultuous things truly were.

Timeline of how things fell apart between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers

Many argued the relationship between Aiyuk and the 49ers began to deteriorate during Super Bowl LVIII—a game in which the receiver had only three catches for 49 yards in an overtime loss.

Perhaps feeling underappreciated and improperly used during the game, rumors soon began to surface he wanted out of the Bay Area. And those rumors weren't aided by his now-wife taking to social media shortly after the Super Bowl and suggesting they might not return.

Most dismissed it at the time, especially with extension talks looming. But, looking at the timeline thereafter, it's impossible not to include it in the dot-connecting.

Brandon Aiyuk-49ers standoff incidents

2024

• March 2024—Mike Tomlin's Steelers chatter: Aiyuk seems to be drawing close to Tomlin and the Steelers.
• March 2024—"Money talks, bulls--t walks" post: Aiyuk shares one of the first of several cryptic posts on social media, suggesting he's unhappy with contract talks.
• April 2024—John Lynch refutes trade rumors: Lynch tells reporters the Niners want Aiyuk for the "rest of his career."
• June 2024—"They don't want me back" post: Aiyuk shares a conversation with Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (more on him soon) saying San Francisco doesn't want him back.
• July and August 2024—Trade rumors galore: Reports say the 49ers have trade frameworks in place for dealing Aiyuk to the Steelers, Patriots or Browns. Commanders reportedly had some interest.
• August 2024—Kyle Shanahan's intervention: The head coach personally stops a would-be Aiyuk trade to the Steelers at the 11th hour:

• August 2024—Buyer's remorse: 49ers immediately regret Aiyuk's four-year, $120 million contract, and subsequent reports say the Niners will have a new hard-line attitude on contracts thereafter.
• September 2024—Aiyuk's slow start: After missing nearly all of training camp, Aiyuk gets off to a sluggish start and is criticized for not being a bigger factor.
• September 2024—Wrong shorts: Videos surface of Shanahan arguing with Aiyuk about the color of his shorts, resulting in the receiver removing them in disgruntled fashion.
• October 2024—The injury: Aiyuk suffers season-ending ACL and MCL tears in a loss to the Chiefs.

2025

• Summer 2025—More trade rumors: Reports later surface how San Francisco wanted to trade Aiyuk again, but his injuries and lucrative contract made a deal nearly impossible.
• July 2025—PUP list: Niners understandably place Aiyuk on the physically unable-to-perform (PUP) list.
• July 2025—Voided guarantees: 49ers void Aiyuk's guarantees for 2026 (first reported in November of 2026 by The Athletic), suggesting the receiver won't be back despite not fighting the decision. Subsequent reports indicate this is due to Aiyuk failing to meet contractual obligations during his recovery.
• October 2025—He'll be back... we hope: Lynch and Shanahan tell the media they're hopeful Aiyuk can return this season.
• December 2025—Seldom-used reserve list: San Francisco officially places Aiyuk on the infrequently used reserve/left-squad list, indicating he's gone AWOL.
• December 2025—The need to speed: Shortly after being placed on the reserve/left-squad list, Aiyuk posts a video of himself driving well over 100 miles per hour by Levi's Stadium on surface streets. Aiyuk later apologizes for the incident.

2026

• January 2026—John Lynch admits the failure: Lynch tells reporters, "he's played his last snap with the Niners." Aiyuk remains on the reserve/left-squad list.
• May 2026—Full AWOL: Reports state the Niners can't get a hold of Aiyuk despite desperately shopping him after the NFL Draft, and those same reports suggest other teams can't reach him either.
• June 2026—"Stop running from the belt:" Aiyuk begins a lengthy tirade of social media posts, initially not mentioning the 49ers by name but implying such. Some posts suggest he's imminently joining Daniels and the Commanders once the Niners release him.
• June 2026—Throwing money away: After deleting several anti-San Francisco posts, Aiyuk returns to social media and shares a video of him dumping cash out of a backpack.
• June 2027—Weirdos: Aiyuk goes after both Lynch and Shanahan, calling the GM a "weirdo" and Shanahan a "f--king toddler."
• July 2026—Jayden Daniels beef: Aiyuk unfollows Daniels on Instagram after Washington's QB brushed off a fan's call-out of the receiver in public, which is followed by Aiyuk making anti-Daniels posts on social media.
• July 2026—No reinstatement: Aiyuk declares on social media he won't file for reinstatement because he won't want to do any business with the 49ers ever again. Aiyuk also calls out his now-former agent and the players union. He also posts himself wearing a Commanders hat.
• July 2026—"You can't win the race if you crash out:" Aiyuk seemingly mocks Shanahan in a post following the head coach's auto accident.
• August 2026—Stefon is safer than Brandon: Commanders all but end Aiyuk's dream of playing for them by signing veteran receiver Stefon Diggs.

There's certainly more that'll go on here, and sadly, the saga between Aiyuk and the Niners hasn't ended just yet. And it wouldn't shock anybody to see some additional social media posts that take potshots at San Francisco.

What's even more troubling is the likelihood Aiyuk torpedoed his own career, as it wouldn't take much for any other front office to comb through the series of events and realize a would-be signing carries far more risk than potential reward.

It's certainly ugly. There's no other way to describe it.

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