How the 49ers' Relationship with Brandon Aiyuk Deteriorated in 21 Steps

Let's start in 2020.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 49ers' breakup with Brandon Aiyuk has been one of the most bizarre stories in sports recently.

Just a couple years ago, he was seen as one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL and a crucial member of the 49ers' present and future. Now, he might never play football again. And he certainly won't play for the 49ers.

How exactly did we get here?

Let's examine the relationship chronologically.

1. The 49ers traded up for Brandon Aiyuk from pick 31 to pick 25 in Round 1 to draft Aiyuk. They loved him. Kyle Shanahan even said that Aiyuk was his second-favorite wide receiver in the draft, along with CeeDee Lamb. Keep in mind, Justin Jefferson was in this draft.

2. Aiyuk produces 825 yards and 7 touchdowns in 12 games as a rookie. He was one of the brights on a team that won just six games.

3. The 49ers put Aiyuk in the doghouse for the first half of his second season for unspecified reasons. At this time, he took a back seat to Mohamed Sanu and Trent Sherfield. Aiyuk never seemed to get over this slight.

4. For the next two years, Aiyuk established himself as one of the hardest workers on the 49ers during the offseason. The 49ers seemed to think they had repaired their relationship with him.

5. In 2023, Aiyuk established himself as a top-10 wide receiver in the NFL and was named second-team All-Pro. Brock Purdy was an MVP candidate while Aiyuk was his No. 1 target.

6. In the NFC Championship Game, Aiyuk made a circus catch on a pass that hit a defensive back in the facemask and later scored a touchdown. The 49ers would not have made it to the Super Bowl without him.

7. In the Super Bowl, Aiyuk was an afterthought despite frequently winning his one-on-one matchups while Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings were targeted heavily. The 49ers lost, and Aiyuk was distraught.

8. The 49ers didn't seem to understand just how alienated Aiyuk had become after the Super Bowl, so they wanted to extend his contract. In hindsight, they should have traded him.

9. While the 49ers were deciding how much to offer Aiyuk, the Detroit Lions reset the wide receiver market by giving Amon-Ra St. Brown $30 million per season. A few months later, the 49ers begrudgingly gave Aiyuk the same amount after trying to trade him to the Browns and Patriots. Aiyuk vetoed both of these deals.

10. When the 49ers eventually came to an agreement with Aiyuk, they made sure to let people know that Aiyuk's offer had been on the table for weeks and he took his sweet time signing it, and that the team was in the process of trading him to the Steelers when Kyle Shanahan literally ran into the front office and stopped the trade from happening. Call this instant buyer's remorse. Aiyuk had to have noticed.

11. The 49ers made Aiyuk the second-highest-paid player on the team after Nick Bosa at the time. As a result, Aiyuk wanted star treatment like Trent Williams, who has two lockers. So, Aiyuk wore red shorts to practice once while the rest of the team wore black shorts. Shanahan immediately made Aiyuk change his shorts on the field in front of everyone. No star treatment for him.

12. Aiyuk blew out his knee trying to catch a floater over the middle from Purdy.

13. After Aiyuk blew out his knee and before he could walk, the 49ers tried to trade him. Aiyuk took this personally.

14. Aiyuk attended OTAs and minincamp but skipped team-mandated rehab assignments in June and July because he was upset.

15. The 49ers either voided Aiyuk's guarantees right away or threatened to void them. If they threatened, it's possible he said, "Go ahead, as long as you release me or trade me to Washington." They voided his guarantees quietly.

16. Aiyuk showed up to training camp, the preseason games and the first few regular season games and ran routes on the field, presumably to help boost his trade value for the 49ers.

17. The trade deadline passed and the 49ers did not trade Aiyuk or clear him to play.

18. In November, a report finally came out that the 49ers had voided Aiyuk's guarantees during the offseason. At this point, according to George Kittle, Aiyuk stopped showing up to the facility. And then, the 49ers placed him on the Reserve/Left Squad List.

19. The 49ers still say they want to trade Aiyuk, but there's no trade market for him.

20. Aiyuk needs to report to the facility for the team to take him off the Reserve/Left Squad list and release him. If he doesn't report, he could stay on this list for three years.

21. Instead of reporting, Aiyuk is posting videos on social media in which he taunts the 49ers and calls them names.

And he were are. The 49ers are in a bitter power struggle with Aiyuk while the Rams have improved their Super Bowl chances by trading for Myles Garrett. For the third year in a row, Aiyuk will be the biggest story at 49ers training.

Will he show up? Will he do something shocking?

Stay tuned. He just might.