EXPLAINED: What Happened to 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk?

The San Francisco 49ers have had issues with their wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, all season long. The latest involves him going completely rogue and AWOL.

Yes, Aiyuk is not answering phone calls or contacting the team in any way, raising questions about his future in the Bay Area. The trouble began during the offseason in 2024 when Aiyuk wanted a new contract.

The WR held out for weeks into training camp and the preseason. After numerous trade rumors, the 49ers signed him to a $120 million, four-year deal.  However, Aiyuk suffered a devastating knee injury just seven games into last season (2024). Since then, things have only gone downhill.

On November 22 this year, it was reported that the team would remove the guaranteed portion of his 2026 salary for failing to meet contractual obligations. Nearly $25 million was saved by the Niners and lost by Aiyuk.

Most recently, head coach Kyle Shanahan and wideout Kendrick Bourne revealed that they haven’t seen Aiyuk in the facility for months. 

“I mean, we haven’t seen him in forever. That’s the decision they [had to] make. It’s been pretty simple for me. I haven’t seen him in a month, and [the] same with our team,” Shanahan told the media after the Week 15 win over the Titans. “We’ve kind of been plugging away, and no big deal… or it’s just something we’ve been used to for a while.”

Bourne shared his version on Speakeasy. “He’s MIA, too, within the building, man. So it’s been tough. I’ve been praying for him, man, because I know how tough it is when you’re chasing certain things and what you gain. So it’s concerning,” he said.

It is a strange situation. When healthy, Aiyuk is one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL. He topped 1,000 receiving yards in both 2022 and 2023 and even made the All-Pro second team in the latter year. On top of that, he has four career rushing touchdowns, proving to be an end-around threat alongside the best of them.

The 49ers, however, are surviving just fine without Aiyuk, which is a testament to Shanahan’s coaching. Still, one has to wonder why the wideout has been acting so strangely of late. It could be for a multitude of reasons.

First and foremost, the knee injury appears to be playing a major role. Aiyuk seemingly failed to rehab properly during the offseason, and the team punished him for it. Naturally, that led to a rift between him and the Niners, as he felt “betrayed” and distanced himself.

Secondly, there seems to have been a breakdown in communication between Aiyuk and Shanahan. He probably believed he could approach his injury recovery one way, while the team wanted him to handle it another. Now, the two are not even communicating about it at all.

Lastly, given everything that has unfolded over the past year, one has to wonder whether Aiyuk is dealing with a mental health issue. He posted a video of himself driving 104 MPH past Levi’s Stadium a week ago, hinting that he is still upset with the team. He later apologized for his actions.

At the end of the day, there isn’t one key reason to pinpoint how Aiyuk got to where he is. But it feels like he’s headed toward a departure from the Niners this offseason.

It’s a tough situation, and both parties could use a fresh start. It will be interesting to see how Aiyuk exits, whether the Niners can get anything for him, and where he ends up.