Niners’ Shanahan admits Aiyuk’s contract situation ‘unusual’

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – As the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk move toward the crossroads of their future together, a lot of important questions remain.

On Saturday afternoon, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that the team had voided the approximately $27 million guaranteed on Aiyuk’s contract through 2026 in late July and then spent most of his news conference answering several remaining questions about Aiyuk’s status. Over the ensuing 11 minutes, 54 seconds, Shanahan alternately offered insight and declined to provide details.

One thing is for sure: Shanahan is not accustomed to this scenario.

“I’ve been coaching for over 20 years and I’ve never been in a situation where a contract was voided,” Shanahan said. “This is extremely unusual for me.”

The main question Saturday was why the 49ers took such a drastic contract measure. Shanahan was repeatedly asked and prompted, acknowledging that Aiyuk missed some meetings and team activities, but he also pointed out that players with significant injuries, such as Aiyuk’s right knee injury, do not always participate in all those things.

According to Shanahan, Aiyuk was rehabbing at the team facility as recently as Friday.

Sources said the 49ers voided Aiyuk’s guarantees because he was not living up to the terms of his contract, which could have included required rehabilitation and questions about his participation in team activities, though Shanahan hinted without providing further details that there was more to it.

“There are a lot of things that have to happen to void a contract,” Shanahan said. “I’ve never dealt with that in my career and haven’t had that happen in any building. It was unusual. But it’s something I just can’t get into.”

As far as the situation between the team and Aiyuk is concerned, Shanahan said the Niners have not medically cleared him to return. Asked if Aiyuk and the Niners are on the same page when it comes to his comeback efforts, Shanahan demurred.

“I can’t tell you that,” Shanahan said. “He and I haven’t been interacting much personally, and I’ve been told it’s week-to-week, so every week, I wait to see if he’s ready to come back to practice, and I haven’t gotten that answer yet.”

Nevertheless, Shanahan said he and the 49ers are hopeful that Aiyuk will return this season. For now, Aiyuk remains on the physically unable to perform list and is eligible to open his 21-day practice window at any time.

On Saturday, fellow wide receivers Jaun Jennings and Ricky Pearsall said they have contacted Aiyuk, though both said they do not discuss the business side of things with him.

“I think he’s doing good,” Pearsall said. “It’s hard because he’s a quiet guy, he keeps to himself, but I can reach out to him as much as I can and show love in my own way because he’s done that throughout my entire journey. I’m just trying to pay him my dues, and I think he’s doing good.”

With his 2026 guaranteed money voided, it’s fair to wonder if Aiyuk may have played his final game for the 49ers.

If the 49ers move on from Aiyuk in the offseason, the voided guarantees provide them with more cap savings, although accelerated prorated signing (2024) and option (2025) bonuses would save a lot of dead money.

An outright release without a designation after June 1 means the Niners will incur a dead cap charge of $29.585 million. Beyond next season, Aiyuk is scheduled to receive a base salary of $27.274 million in 2027 and $29.15 million in 2028.

Shanahan said Saturday that he is not thinking about parting ways with Aiyuk.

“What happened in July has nothing to do with the future,” Shanahan said. “It was about circumstances that, to me, were out of a coach’s hands. … When it comes to his future, I would love for BA to be here. I would love for him to get healthy and come back to really help us and be a part of our team. We haven’t had that a little bit, and I’m still hopeful that he can get there, but he’s obviously not there yet.”

After an often controversial standoff, Aiyuk signed his four-year, $120 million extension on August 29, 2024. Through this process, the Niners agreed to trades that would have sent Aiyuk to the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers. In each case, Aiyuk vetoed the position so he could remain in San Francisco.

If Aiyuk does not play for the Niners again, he will be paid $48 million to appear in seven games after signing the extension. In those contests, he had 25 receptions for 374 yards and zero touchdowns.

At this year’s training camp, there was optimism that Aiyuk was coming. At one point, Shanahan and wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson praised him for his participation in meetings. But Aiyuk’s presence is continuously decreasing. He has not been in the portions of practice open to the media and has not been in the locker room during media sessions.

Asked Saturday what changed in that time, Shanahan said, “You’d have to ask them.” Shanahan was then asked if he thought Aiyuk was motivated to return to the field this season.

“I don’t think it really matters,” Shanahan said. “I think everyone may have different opinions about it. … I was told a few weeks ago that he was getting closer, and we haven’t made progress that way yet. From my standpoint, I’m just waiting for him to get back to practice.”