SPORTS-FBN-49ERS-AIYUK-FILEPIC-SJ
TRAINING CAMP: San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk runs with teammates during training camp at the team's practice facility in Santa Clara, Calif., on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group/TNS
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has taken an initial step toward returning from a hiatus of more than a year from the NFL, although a comeback with the San Francisco 49ers remains highly unlikely.
Aiyuk has hired a new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who told ESPN’s Adam Schefter he is working to get Aiyuk “back to work and playing again in the NFL.”
After disappearing from the 49ers 13 months ago, Aiyuk was placed on the reserve/left squad list in December. To come off that list, he must first apply for reinstatement with the NFL. It is unknown whether such a request has been submitted. Rosenhaus did not immediately respond to a message from this news organization.
Following a series of social media posts this summer criticizing the 49ers and vowing never to return, the 2020 first-round draft pick has kept an extremely low profile during the season. Coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this season that the club had no desire to reunite with the 28-year-old wide receiver.
Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract in August 2024, with $76 million guaranteed. But a knee injury in October of that year derailed his return as the team voided his 2027 guarantees, citing his failure to follow the 49ers’ rehabilitation schedule. He attended practices through September but was not cleared to participate and eventually stopped reporting to the facility. He was later placed on the reserve/left squad list.
Aiyuk pushed for a trade to another team throughout the spring and summer, just as he did during negotiations before his contract extension.