You remember the story that seemed to drag on forever in the offseason leading up to the 2024 season? Perhaps we are headed toward one more chapter in that story. WR Brandon Aiyuk is reportedly on the outs with the San Francisco 49ers.
“BREAKING: Fifteen months after signing a four-year, $120 million extension, Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers appear headed toward a divorce, sources tell me and Mike Silver,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini wrote on X.
The 49ers voided his 2026 contract guarantees, which sets the stage for a split.
He was involved in a lengthy holdout with the 49ers in the 2024 offseason and reportedly had the outline of a trade deal and new contract in place with the Steelers before a last-minute push by San Francisco led him to sign an extension to stay put.
Now he could find himself as a free agent, with the ability to sign anywhere he pleases.
It all started with a season-ending knee injury last year, shortly after signing his four-year, $120 million extension. It’s been 13 months since the injury. He opened the 2025 season on PUP and has yet to be activated.
“It’s now likely that he has played his last game with the franchise, according to numerous sources briefed on the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation,” Russini and Silver wrote. “Some in the organization are holding out hope that the relationship can be salvaged enough for him to return this season. However, multiple sources believe that a reconciliation is unlikely.”
By voiding his guarantees, the 49ers can mitigate some of the financial fallout from the massive four-year contract extension that made him the seventh highest-paid WR in football at $30 million per season.
“His 2026 option bonus would have paid out $24.935 million. He stood to earn a $1.215 million base salary for the 2026 season, as well as a $100,000 workout bonus and roster bonuses of $750,000 per game,” they wrote.
The contract negotiations were contentious in the 2024 offseason, but it’s currently unclear what caused this rift in his relationship with the team. His presence at the team facility has become “scarce,” according to Russini and Silver.
There is nothing to gain for the 49ers in cutting him in the middle of the season, where he would then be free to sign with a team. That could potentially come back to bite the 49ers at some point this season. But if the Steelers were prepared to offer him somewhere in the ballpark of $30 million just 16 months ago, it’s worth noting that he may be available on the open market this offseason.
The Steelers have since committed just under $33 million per year to DK Metcalf in a contract that runs through the 2029 season. But Aiyuk might find himself in the market for a short-term, prove-it deal to earn another long-term extension at just 27 years old.
Before getting injured, Aiyuk had 25 receptions for 374 yards last season. It was a dip in production from the year prior, when he had 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns as one of the star offensive players on the Super Bowl runner up.
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