The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero tweeted the following about San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk:
Veteran WR Brandon Aiyuk owes the 49ers roughly $13 million in bonus forfeiture — a potential complication in his efforts to secure his release by reporting to the facility Friday.
The NFL Management Council and the NFL Players Association are both involved in attempting to resolve the situation. The sides could reach an agreement to pay back the money, or it could go to arbitration. But it’s complicated
and may take time to resolve.
Earlier on Thursday evening, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that Drew Rosenhaus, Aiyuk’s agent, said, “We will be there tomorrow at 3 pm to meet with the team at the facility. We will put our best foot forward and go from there.”
Words are words. These are pros. If Aiyuk is remorseful, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 49ers brass and locker room accept him with open arms.
The more fascinating aspect is what happens with Aiyuk’s contract. Currently, Aiyuk’s under contract through 2028. If he agrees to a restructured contract, likely one that makes him a free agent at the end of the season, why would the Niners part ways with him?
The answer would be that both sides believe they have reached a point of no return; there are no actions left to take, and it’s best to part ways with Aiyuk.
You could also include Aiyuk in any potential trade—even as a throw-in in place of a draft pick. You might ask why a team would take a risk on a player who hasn’t stepped foot on an NFL field in over two seasons.
After it’s all said and done, there’s a plausible outcome where Aiyuk remains on the roster — whether he suits up is another question.
But if you’re Kyle Shanahan and you’re looking at a wide receiver depth chart without Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, potentially Christian Kirk, and another month-plus without De’Zhaun Stribling, you’d think it’d be easy to swallow your pride and take Aiyuk back — provided the locker room does.
It feels like there are dozens of reasons to keep Aiyuk, if only for another two months. Best case, he’s your WR2. The worst case is he’s on the scout team, serving as CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Malik Nabers in practice over the next month.
No outcome would be surprising, which is why we can’t wait to see the update late Friday afternoon.
