Everybody seems to have their opinions about San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, despite knowing half the truth. What we know is the team voided Aiyuk’s guarantees. On Wednesday, ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano did some digging, and they speculated why Aiyuk no longer has those guarantees:
The Brandon Aiyuk saga feels far from over since The Athletic’s report that San Francisco voided his 2026 guarantees — specifically, a $24.9 million option bonus, clearing the way for San Francisco to part ways with the receiver. A few people I’ve checked with believe an issue was Aiyuk’s failure to show up for rehab appointments during the offseason. Either he didn’t trust the trainers or didn’t want to show up. Either way, an unwillingness to properly rehab a significant knee injury as the team sees fit is typically easy grounds for a guarantee void. Las Vegas’ Christian Wilkins was another example of that a few months back.
Aiyuk wouldn’t be the first player to rehab away from the team facility. In 2024, the 49ers led the NFL in adjusted games lost. Outside of 2023, the Niners have been in the top-10 in adjusted games lost in every season since 2020. It’s understandable why any player would want to rehab elsewhere based on the results.
Of course, that doesn’t excuse a player breaching his contract. If you have an appointment with your job, you can’t blow them off. Aiyuk could have easily shown up to rehab sessions, meetings, and appointments, and gone and gotten another opinion or done the same on his own.
Fowler continued:
A few teams I spoke to believe Aiyuk is slightly more tradeable with the voided guarantees, though with the option money still technically on the books, reworking his deal altogether would be the preferred method. And Aiyuk might not want that. Getting released and hitting free agency in March would be the cleanest path for him — and he would have suitors. He’s only 27 and had 1,342 yards in 2023.
There won’t be any shortage of suitors if Aiyuk becomes a free agent or goes on the trade block. Will one side swallow its pride? This storyline isn’t going anywhere.
Earlier on Wednesday, Shanahan said Aiyuk’s practice window won’t be opened before the team’s bye week. That seems like the next opportunity we’ll have to see whether Aiyuk will play.
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