The San Francisco 49ers' situation with disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has finally hit a point of no return in the wake of him being placed on the reserve/left squad list, thereby ending his season without playing a snap but also indicating he'll be fully off the roster once the league new year hits in March of 2026.
Even head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted he hadn't spoken with the now-AWOL Aiyuk in over a month, and the coach's comments indicated he's moved on.
These are just the latest developments in what's been a long and ugly relationship between franchise and player.
Naturally, there's plenty of blame to go around. For Aiyuk, it's hard to understand why he's seemingly uninterested in getting back on the field to boost his offseason stock value with 31 other potential suitors. And for the Niners, they effectively admitted his 2024 extension was a massive mistake from the get-go.
According to one prominent NFL insider and columnist, though, San Francisco's blame extends even further than just mishandling the extension and relationship.
Albert Breer points finger at 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk fiasco in newfound way
In a feature on his YouTube channel, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer dove into the messy Aiyuk situation, trying to figure out how both parties got here and what happens next.
Breer pointed the finger at the 49ers, yes, but not necessarily in the way most have discussed up to this point:
"This is a bizarre situation, and I think if you want to put some blame on the 49ers, I think it’s fair to put some blame on them. Because they had him in their building for four years prior to signing him to that new deal. They knew who he was and they were dealing with him in a contract negotiation that got kind of ugly.
"The warning signs were there. So now if you’re the Niners, you’re probably going to get nothing from him, and you’re probably going to move on from him after the year."
According to this take, the Niners had to understand Aiyuk was a potential distraction and someone who might create long-term issues once extension talks commenced.
Breer recalled San Francisco's oh-so-close would-be trades to both the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots before his extension was signed, and according to subsequent reports, it was Shanahan who demanded the 49ers retain Aiyuk on a new deal rather than ship him out of town.
Now, in the wake of how ugly things have turned, Shanahan has to be regretting his intervention into the front office on Aiyuk's behalf.
And the Niners have to be regretting listening to the head coach and granting his wish.