49ers give shocking update about Brandon Aiyuk after beating Titans

It won't end.

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The Brandon Aiyuk drama keeps getting weirder.

On Saturday, the 49ers placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list, which is something you probably didn't know exists. And they did this on a Saturday most likely to bury the news and avoid answering questions about it until after the Titans game.

On Sunday, the 49ers beat Tennessee 37-24, and Aiyuk's replacement, Ricky Pearsall, had six catches for 96 yards. So before they said a word about, they made the statement that they don't need him anymore, although Pearsall injured his ankle and knee during the game and will have an MRI this morning.

After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about the timing of when they placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad

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“We haven't seen him in forever," Shanahan said, "so I mean that's just the decision they make. It's been pretty simple for me. I haven't seen him in a month, and same with our team, so it hasn't been an issue with our team at all. We've kind of been plugging away and no big deal or it's just something we've been used to for a while, but I know it's new to you guys, so I think they just officially had to do that yesterday.”

This is a shocking admission, considering Shanahan and John Lynch both said just a few weeks ago that they still hoped Aiyuk would return to the team and play at some point this season. They even said he had been working out at the facility in the mornings. I guess that stopped quite a while ago.

"I really have been hoping he would come back all year," Shanahan said. "But, not one point was I really planning on it. So, that would've been a great bonus. That would've been awesome and would love to have B.A. out there, would love to have that type of player. But, that was something I realized early on wasn't going to come for a while and there was nothing that made me sit there and think it was happening soon.”

Does that mean Aiyuk has played his final game with the 49ers and the 49ers will cut or trade him this offseason?

“I wouldn't say that's for sure been decided," Shanahan said. "I literally haven't had to think about B.A. or had a reason to think about him in a long time. He is under contract next year. B.A.'s a guy, we've had a relationship for a while. We've always liked B.A., everyone knows how good of a player he is. It's extremely unfortunate that it's gotten to this point, but when this year's over, we'll see where we're at.”

TRANSLATION: The Aiyuk drama could drag into next season. Aiyuk clearly wants the 49ers to release him so he can sign with a team of his choosing -- probably the Washington Commanders. The 49ers most likely want to trade Aiyuk so they can get something in return for him. And he currently is worth nothig in a trade because he's overpaid and unwilling to play.

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What an unnecessary distraction.

After Shanahan spoke, George Kittle came to the 49ers' auditorium, and a reporter asked him about Aiyuk.

"Whatever John and Kyle said," Kittle said, irritated. "I’m gonna punt on that question. It is what it is. Nothing I can do about it, so I'm just going to play ball with the guys that are here."

Sounds like the players want this drama to end.