49ers Make Final Decision on Brandon Aiyuk's Status for Rest of Season

The wide receiver hasn't played since 2024.

Brandon Aiyuk's 2023 breakout already seems like a distant memory. / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's tenure with the 49ers may be over.

San Francisco is placing Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list and ending his season, according to a Saturday afternoon report from Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Aiyuk, 27, has not played a down of football since injuring his ACL and MCL in the 49ers' 28–18 loss to the Chiefs in Week 7 last year. Since then, the gifted receiver's tenure with San Francisco has taken multiple turns.

In July, the 49ers placed Aiyuk on the physically unable to perform list. Then, in November, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters the team was voiding Aiyuk's 2026 guarantees; reports such as this one from ESPN's Nick Wagoner indicated the move was due to non-participation on the part of the Arizona State product.

Aiyuk is ostensibly on year one of a four-year rookie extension worth $120 million that seems likely to go up in smoke. As recently as 2023, he caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns.

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