Niners Nation
The most recent move the San Francisco 49ers made involving Brandon Aiyuk suggested he may never suit up for this team again. After their Week 15 win, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked what went into the decision to end Aiyuk’s season, and if it was something the team needed to do now:
“We haven’t seen him in forever, so I mean that’s just the decision they make. It’s been pretty simple for me. I haven’t seen him in a month, and same with our team, so it hasn’t been an issue with our team at all. We’ve kind of been plugging away and no big deal or it’s just something we’ve been used to for a while, but I know it’s new to you guys, so I think they just officially had to do that yesterday.”
It always felt like a long shot that we’d see Aiyuk again in 2025. Whenever the subject broached Shanahan or John Lynch, the “We’re hopeful” responses felt empty. It also sounded like two people who had moved on from something that happened months ago. If anything, it shows how far behind those of us on the outside are in terms of information compared to those in the know.
Per Over the Cap, the 49ers can now go after a portion of Aiyuk’s signing bonus and option money. When you read that, you can’t help but think Aiyuk is the most stubborn person alive while simultaneously getting the worst advice imaginable during the process. Was it a pride issue? That’s what it comes off as.
Shanahan continued after being asked if the 49ers have enough receivers:
“We’ve been playing with our receiving group all year. I really have been hoping he would come back all year. But, not one point was I really planning on it. So, that would’ve been a great bonus. That would’ve been awesome and would love to have B.A. out there, would love to have that type of player. But, that was something I realized early on wasn’t going to come for a while and there was nothing that made me sit there and think it was happening soon. So, I think the rest of our team also.”
The 49ers responded with strong performances from their two top pass catchers in Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle. At least until the offseason, this will be the last time we discuss Aiyuk. We think.
