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Brandon Aiyuk finally found his way back to the NFL after months of battle. But his return is far from celebrated, as Kyle Shanahan doesn’t want to do anything with him.
“It means absolutely nothing to our team. … That’s all administrative stuff to me,” Kyle Shanahan said as per analyst Matt Maiocco.
Shanahan has already shown his disinterest in playing with Aiyuk. The 49ers officials and an NFLPA representative met Brandon Aiyuk and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, at the team’s business offices.
However, head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear that he was not involved in the meeting, saying, “No clue. Your guess is as good as mine. I [couldn’t] care less.”
Even more, his team meeting with Shanahan showed his disinterest.
“None. I have no expectation,” Shanahan said. “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.”
And the same response came after the NFL reinstated him.
Brandon Aiyuk has been allowed to return to the NFL after spending nearly 11 months on the 49ers’ reserve/left squad list. However, this does not mean he will play for San Francisco again.
NFL took a lot of time to give their decision as According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Aiyuk’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, clarified that the receiver had submitted his reinstatement paperwork on October 27.
The team has received two extra weeks, until November 23, to decide what to do with him. Releasing Aiyuk is the most likely option, while finding another team willing to trade for him before the November 10th deadline appears less likely.
Now, one of the reason to not realease him can be the money 49ers wants from him.
The team reportedly wants him to return up to $13 million in bonuses that he had already received. San Francisco believes he lost the right to keep that money after failing to meet his contractual responsibilities.
Brandon Aiyuk’s problems with the San Francisco 49ers began even before the 2024 season. After a lengthy contract dispute, he signed a four-year, $120 million extension before the season started.
However, his season ended early after he injured his right knee against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 20, 2024. He tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus.
But things changed when, while recovering, he stopped attending team meetings and other team activities. He eventually stopped visiting the team’s facility and communicating with the organization.
The situation also affected Aiyuk’s contract. The 49ers decided to remove around $27 million in future guaranteed money, arguing that he had failed to meet his responsibilities as a player.
Now, with all this drama, it will be interesting to see if the 49ers take him back or release him.