San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday there is no chance Brandon Aiyuk will return to the team, even as the receiver seeks reinstatement to the league and insists he has changed his behavior.
“None. I have no expectation,” Shanahan said when asked about Aiyuk’s claimed turnaround. “I’ve kind of moved on with that mentally and doing kind of how I talked to you guys two months ago. Nothing’s really changed for me.”
Aiyuk filed for NFL reinstatement this week with the help of new agent Drew Rosenhaus and is expected to report Friday. But the 49ers have made clear they will not keep him on the roster. General manager John Lynch had previously sounded more open to a possible return, though Shanahan’s stance has not budged.
The relationship between Aiyuk and the organization deteriorated over several months. He clashed with the team during a contract standoff, received a reckless speeding citation off the field, and stopped communicating with team medical staff during his injury rehabilitation.
After San Francisco voided guarantees in his future contract and sidelined him, Aiyuk turned to social media to criticize the organization, calling it “stupid” and accusing Lynch of showing up uninvited at his home. He also made comments mocking Shanahan’s leadership and, in Instagram stories, made references to Shanahan’s car accident in July, telling him to “stay in yo own lane” and writing that “you can’t win the race if you crash out.”
Before the falling-out, Aiyuk was one of the 49ers’ top offensive weapons. Drafted 25th overall in 2020, he put together back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2022 and 2023 and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2023 with 1,342 receiving yards, helping San Francisco reach Super Bowl LVIII. Over five seasons with the team, he caught 294 passes for 4,305 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Aiyuk remains under contract through 2028, but $27 million in guarantees have already been voided. Releasing him would leave the 49ers with a $12.35 million dead-cap charge while opening the door for him to sign elsewhere.
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