SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Because the San Francisco 49ers and huge receiver Brandon Aiyuk careen towards a crossroads on their future collectively, loads of necessary questions stay unanswered.
On Saturday afternoon, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the crew voided about $27 million in 2026 ensures on Aiyuk’s contract in late July after which spent most of his information convention fielding lots of these leftover queries about Aiyuk’s standing. Within the ensuing 11 minutes and 54 seconds, Shanahan alternated between providing perception and declining to supply specifics.
One factor is for sure: Shanahan is not used to such an uncommon state of affairs.
“I have been teaching over 20 years, and I’ve by no means been in a state of affairs the place a contract’s been voided,” Shanahan mentioned. “It is extraordinarily uncommon to me.”
The highest query of the day was what precisely Aiyuk did (or did not do) for such a drastic contract measure to be taken. Shanahan was requested repeatedly and provided hints, acknowledging that Aiyuk missed some conferences and crew actions but additionally identified that gamers with important accidents, like Aiyuk’s proper knee harm, do not at all times participate in all these issues anyway.
Aiyuk was within the crew facility doing rehab as just lately as Friday, in line with Shanahan.
Sources mentioned that Aiyuk’s voided ensures had been a results of him not dwelling as much as the phrases of his contract, which might embrace questions on his participation in required rehab and crew actions, although Shanahan indicated there was extra to it with out providing additional particulars.
“It takes lots of issues to get a contract voided,” Shanahan mentioned. “I’ve by no means handled that in my profession and been in any constructing that is had that. It was uncommon. However that is stuff that I can not get into proper now.”
As for the place issues stand between the crew and Aiyuk, Shanahan mentioned the Niners haven’t medically cleared him to return. Requested whether or not Aiyuk and the Niners are on the identical web page in the case of his efforts to return, Shanahan demurred.
“I can not let you know that,” Shanahan mentioned. “I’m not getting a lot dialogue simply personally between him and I, and I have been informed that it is week to week, so every week I wait to see if he is prepared to return again for apply and I have never obtained that reply but.”
Nonetheless, Shanahan mentioned he and the 49ers are hoping Aiyuk will return to play this season. For now, Aiyuk is on the bodily unable to carry out checklist however is eligible to open his 21-day apply window at any level.
On Saturday, fellow receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall mentioned they have been in touch with Aiyuk, although each mentioned they do not actually focus on the enterprise aspect of issues with him.
“I believe he is doing tremendous,” Pearsall mentioned. “It is exhausting as a result of he is a quiet man, he is to himself, however as a lot as I can attain out to him and present love his means as a result of he is carried out that all through my journey. I am simply attempting to pay my dues again to him and I believe he is doing good.”
Given the uncertainty that comes with having assured cash voided, it is truthful to surprise if Aiyuk may need already performed his last sport as a Niner.
If the 49ers transfer on from Aiyuk within the offseason, the voiding of 2026 ensures means they may understand extra cap financial savings than they’d have in any other case, although there’ll nonetheless be lots of lifeless cash from accelerated prorated signing (2024) and possibility (2025) bonuses.
An outright launch with no submit June 1 designation means the Niners would incur a dead-cap cost of $29.585 million. Past subsequent season, Aiyuk is scheduled to obtain base salaries of $27.274 million in 2027 and $29.15 million in 2028.
Shanahan mentioned Saturday he isn’t eager about parting methods with Aiyuk proper now.
“What occurred in July does not have something to do with the long run,” Shanahan mentioned. “That needed to do with circumstances that, to me, had been out of a coach’s hand. … In relation to the way forward for this, I’d love for BA to be right here. I’d love for him to get wholesome and get again to essentially serving to us out and being a part of his crew. We have not had that in a bit bit, and I nonetheless maintain out hope that he can get there, however he clearly hasn’t gotten there but.”
Aiyuk signed his four-year, $120 million extension on Aug. 29, 2024, after an usually contentious standoff. Via the method, the Niners had trades that might ship Aiyuk to the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed upon. In every case, Aiyuk vetoed the state of affairs so he might in the end keep in San Francisco.
If Aiyuk does not play one other sport for the Niners, he can have been paid $48 million to seem in seven video games after signing the extension. In these contests, he had 25 receptions for 374 yards and no touchdowns.
At this 12 months’s coaching camp, there had been some optimism that Aiyuk was coming round. At one level, Shanahan and receivers coach Leonard Hankerson praised him for his participation in conferences. Since, Aiyuk’s presence has develop into more and more scarce. Aiyuk has additionally not been round on the parts of apply open to media and has not been within the locker room throughout media classes
Requested Saturday what modified in that point, Shanahan mentioned, “You’d must ask him.” Shanahan was then requested if he believes Aiyuk is motivated to return to the sector this season.
“I do not assume that basically issues,” Shanahan mentioned. “I believe everybody may need a unique opinion of that. … I used to be informed a number of weeks in the past he was getting nearer and we’ve not made progress in that means to this point. From my standpoint, I am simply ready for him to get again to apply.”
