It's painfully obvious wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has played his final snap with the San Francisco 49ers, one that happened to come when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL against the Kansas City Chiefs in October of 2024.
And that moment appeared to be a catalyst for the full downward spiral in the relationship between player and team.
Of course, things weren't great before then. Aiyuk and the Niners were at odds over contract extension talks the offseason prior, and only head coach Kyle Shanahan's 11th-hour intervention prevented the front office from shipping the 2020 first-round NFL draftee off to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade.
Aiyuk got his extension, one San Francisco openly regretted from the get-go. And it sure seemed as if the receiver remained discontented despite getting paid.
2025's drama has been no quieter than last year's. The receiver's contractual guarantees for 2026 were voided in light of apparent violations of contract terms, and Aiyuk has since gone full AWOL, resulting in the 49ers placing him on the reserve/left squad list, ending his season without seeing the field.
While it's been bad for a long time, when did things become fully irreparable?
Shanahan seemed to have the answer.
Kyle Shanahan says Brandon Aiyuk's AWOL tendencies began with 2024 injury
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Niners' Week 16 bout against the Indianapolis Colts, the head coach was asked about Aiyuk's distance from the team and when it became an issue.
Shanahan's response was rather shocking:
"I didn't get to hang out around Aiyuk much since he tore his ACL in Week 7 [in 2024], I think versus Kansas City. So, we've been trying to get him back to our team, really, since then, and haven't been able to pull that off. So, haven't totally had the opportunity to get him part of our team.
He's been extremely distant since he got hurt, and was hoping it would happen once he got healthy, but it never happened."
During training camp last summer, Shanahan and other coaches highlighted how a still-present Aiyuk was regularly participating in workouts and positional meetings, often referring to him as "Coach Aiyuk."
While that might have been a thing for a brief while, it appears as if the receiver's distance amid his injury recovery has been far more prevaling than anything else.
When pressed further about whether or not there were bigger problems and rifts going on behind the scenes between the two parties, Shanahan bluntly responded, "I think, obviously."
Now, it's important to acknowledge injured players can opt for their own rehabilitation outside of the building, yet doing so typically involves contractual obligations: check-ins, progress reports, etc. Whether or not Aiyuk met any/all of these isn't public knowledge.
But, at least according to Shanahan, that injury is the pinpoint where the soured relationship between player and team went into full nosedive mode.