The 49ers' drama with Brandon Aiyuk takes another bizarre turn

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers won't come out and say exactly what went down between them and Brandon Aiyuk that led to such a quick and messy divorce. But they will provide clues.

On Thursday, a reporter asked Kyle Shanahan if he has any regrets when it comes to Aiyuk and if he wishes he could have handled him better.

"I didn't get to hang out around Aiyuk much since he tore his ACL in Week 7 versus Kansas City," Shanahan said. "We've been trying to get him back to our team since then, and haven't been able to pull that off. Haven't totally had the opportunity to get him part of our team. He has been extremely distant since he got hurt. Was hoping it would happen once he got healthy, but it never happened."

This is new information.

Until now, we thought that drama with Aiyuk started at some point during the summer -- either June or July, when he missed or skipped a team-mandated rehab assignment. Turns out, the drama started as soon as Aiyuk injured his knee in October of 2024.

Which makes this offseason even stranger, considering Aiyuk showed up to training camp and the first few weeks of the season, and acted like a coach on the field and in the meeting room, according to wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson.

I asked Shanahan about this period of time in August and September.

"There was that period when he was on the field for training camp and before games," I said. "It looked like he wanted to be here, but was there more going on behind the scenes that we didn't understand?

"I think obviously," Shanahan said.

TRANSLATION: The 49ers simply don't understand why Aiyuk has been so upset and distant. They gave him the money that he wanted. They thought that would make him happy. And yet, he went silent on them well before they voided his guarantees.

It almost sounds like the 49ers fear that Aiyuk is having a mental health crisis. That he's isolating himself and ruining his career for no apparent reason.

I'm guessing Aiyuk feels betrayed by the 49ers, considering they tried to trade him shortly after he got injured. Maybe that's why he stopped communicating. Maybe he felt the organization didn't support him through his darket time as a professional.

Or, maybe he is having a mental health crisis. Maybe he sank into a severe depression after suffering a catastrophic knee injury that could destroy his career.

Either way, Aiyuk is not a bad person or a criminal, which is why this story is so sad. The 49ers are going to lose an elite player for nothing, and we might never get to see him perform at his peak again.

Hopefully, Aiyuk gets the help he needs and revives his career somewhere else next season.

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