When the 49ers Could Finally Release Brandon Aiyuk

This key date could be when Brandon Aiyuk gets cut.

Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most unnecessary storylines in the NFL is the San Francisco 49ers retaining Brandon Aiyuk.

This should've been nipped in the bud months ago. Aiyuk should've been cut on the first day of the new league year in March, which is what the 49ers indicated when they voided his guarantees.

However, they had a change of heart. They decided to trade Aiyuk rather than cut him for nothing. That hasn't come close to materializing, and it won't ever.

Now, the 49ers have to deal with Aiyuk taking shots at them via social media. It's all unnecessary and weird, but thankfully, there is a key date by which the 49ers could finally release Aiyuk.

Aiyuk could be released on this day

The #49ers don't need to make a decision on Brandon Aiyuk's $24,935,000 option bonus until September 1st.

His $13.6M cap figure for 2026 is more than reasonable for San Francisco to carry through the summer, especially since they own an NFL-high $72M of cap space.

— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 11, 2026

The first day of September is when this can all finally come to an end between the 49ers and Aiyuk. That is when the 49ers will need to decide how petty they want to be.

$24.9 million is a ton of money for a player the 49ers don't want. I'd imagine they will cut him just before that date to prevent him from getting anything.

However, there is a tricky element here. Aiyuk is currently on the retired/reserve list. If he remains on there when his option bonus is due, then the 49ers probably don't have to decide anything.

They would love for that to be the case. So long as Aiyuk continues to ghost them and only acknowledge them on social media, they'll avoid the bonus.

This is why Aiyuk needs to show up when training camp begins. He should've shown up long before OTAs began if he really wanted to be cut.

Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) warms up before the game against the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The 49ers wouldn't have allowed him to participate. They would've wanted to avoid an extremely awkward situation with Aiyuk being there.

He has leverage in this unnecessarily dramatic situation. All he has to do is act upon it. Instead, he's playing games on social media.

Aiyuk is only making himself look worse by taking to social media to take shots at the 49ers. It does nothing to push him closer to a release.

If anything, he should be posting videos to give his side of the story as to why the relationship with the 49ers went south. No one knows his side. Only the 49ers.

He could gain some sympathy if he went that route. But now, he continues to sink himself further and makes Sept. 1 a date that will be irrelevant to him.

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