Retour
Brandon Aiyuk has the most incredible timing.
We haven't heard from this guy in months. He tried so hard to force the 49ers to release him all offseason, and then he went silent. It seemed like he had given up on playing football entirely.
Now, less than a week before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, he has hired mega-agent Drew Rosenhaus, filed for reinstatement with the NFL, and intends to report to the 49ers facility this Friday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Suddenly, Aiyuk is moving extremely fast, and it's unclear what he ultimately wants now that Rosenhaus is representing him. Does Aiyuk want to play for the 49ers again, or does he think he can get them finally to trade him? Or cut him?
Unless the 49ers have been in contact with Aiyuk, they're probably confused as well. They have to figure out what they're going to do when he shows up.
Option 1: Call the police. Technically, there's a warrant out for Aiyuk's arrest because he filmed himself driving past Levi's Stadium while going more than 100 miles per hour. This was an error in judgment.
Pros: Aiyuk would get arrested and humiliated in front of his teammates.
Cons: He would bail out of jail in five minutes and come right back to the facility, so this would just delay the confrontation.
Option 2: Remove Aiyuk from the reserve/left squad list and try to find some team that's willing to trade a conditional seventh-round pick for him if the 49ers pay part of his salary. If no such team exists, cut him.
Pros: The 49ers never would have to deal with Aiyuk again.
Cons: A former All-Pro wide receiver who's 28 could go to a contender such as the Chiefs, the Bills, Rams, or the Seahawks. And if he plays well, the 49ers would look incompetent because they need a wide receiver like Aiyuk, and someone might get fired.
Option 3: Let Aiyuk return to the team as if nothing happened, provided he addresses his teammates and coaches and reconciles face-to-face with them.
Pros: The 49ers might get a former All-Pro wide receiver who's 28 and healthy and hungry to prove that he deserves a big contract this offseason. This version of Aiyuk could carry the 49ers to their first Super Bowl victory since 1995, assuming Mike Evans returns at some point this season and stays relatively healthy.
Cons: Aiyuk could come back for one day, pull his calf on the practice field like Nick Bosa and Dante Pettis did, sign an injury settlement and never play for the 49ers again.
I couldn't tell you what the right thing to do is. I hope the 49ers and Aiyuk reconcile. That would be a wonderful, heartwarming ending to a bizarre story.
I like a heartwarming ending.