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It's not if, it's when the San Francisco 49ers will move on from wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. San Francisco general manager John Lynch has already said the team will part ways with the 2020 first-round pick, less than two years after the two sides agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension.
"I think it's safe to say that he's played his last snap with the Niners," Lynch said in January, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
When Aiyuk is eventually free, the Washington Commanders are widely believed to be his next destination. Aiyuk is close friends with quarterback Jayden Daniels and also has a good relationship with GM Adam Peters. For now, though, the 49ers appear in no rush to move Aiyuk, hoping someone will send them a late-round pick in return for the receiver who tore his ACL and MCL seven games into the 2024 season.
That's not going to happen.
Everyone has detailed what led the 49ers to void the remaining guaranteed money on Aiyuk's contract. Most accounts have painted Aiyuk as the bad guy. As for Aiyuk, he's mostly remained quiet, minus his speeding incident outside of Levi's Stadium. When San Francisco voided the guarantees in his 2026 contract, Aiyuk told the NFLPA he would not file a grievance. He wants out.
Tight end George Kittle may have inadvertently brought some clarity to the situation.
As a guest on "Bussin with the Boys" on Tuesday, Kittle gave a timeline of his contact with Aiyuk last season and when Aiyuk stopped being around the team.
"The last time I saw Aiyuk, he was kinda at training camp, kinda not, and then he was in and out of the building throughout the first couple of weeks," Kittle said. "Then I started going out to see him in the weight room because he didn’t go into the locker room or the training room anymore. He would just go into the weight room to do his rehab." When asked when this was, Kittle confirmed it was during the 2025 season.
"I would go there and talk to him because he didn’t go to meetings or anything like that. And so I was like, I would just talk to him and let him know, 'I’m your guy. Just letting you know I love ya.' I started doing that, let's call it Week 6, and then a week later, that story came out with all the crazy stuff, and then I didn’t see him again."
It's unclear which article Kittle is referring to that widened the rift between the two sides. There were inaccuracies in this story in October. Then, there was the report from The Athletic about the 49ers voiding Aiyuk's guarantees. Both painted Aiyuk in a negative light, and the 49ers did nothing to dispel the rumors.
"That’s not something I bring up to John Lynch or Kyle Shanahan very often. I’m like, that’s on you guys. I just try to be there for the players if something is going on, cause you always want to be there for the boys. I don’t know what’s going on with Brandon. I don’t know what he’s thinking about. So I really have no idea."
Kittle did confirm that Aiyuk texted him after he was injured in San Francisco's Wild Card playoff loss in January.
"He did text me after I got hurt and said 'thinking of ya' and I said 'thanks, dude.'"
This is all interesting and gives some insight into why Aiyuk is upset with the 49ers. It appeared the rift began during contentious contract negotiations back in 2024, but that appeared to be in the past. Kittle's recollection of the situation is the most honest take we've heard on it because he's not giving the organization's side of the story. He's telling it from a teammate's perspective, and it doesn't necessarily line up with everything we've heard.
From what it all sounds like, Aiyuk was indeed working with the team on his rehab, but once the story was out, he stopped. He was upset. He didn't stop his rehab; he just continued it away from the team doctors. Almost every story we've heard about the Aiyuk/49ers saga painted Aiyuk as the bad guy. Maybe things weren't as they appeared, and the 49ers are far from blameless.
Sure, that doesn't excuse every decision Aiyuk has made, but it's also true that people may have jumped the gun on blaming him for everything.
The question isn't how this saga will end, but when. And you can bet the Commanders will provide Aiyuk with a soft landing spot, considering their need for receiver help.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: 49ers' George Kittle offers insight into Aiyuk
Continue reading...
"I think it's safe to say that he's played his last snap with the Niners," Lynch said in January, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
When Aiyuk is eventually free, the Washington Commanders are widely believed to be his next destination. Aiyuk is close friends with quarterback Jayden Daniels and also has a good relationship with GM Adam Peters. For now, though, the 49ers appear in no rush to move Aiyuk, hoping someone will send them a late-round pick in return for the receiver who tore his ACL and MCL seven games into the 2024 season.
That's not going to happen.
Everyone has detailed what led the 49ers to void the remaining guaranteed money on Aiyuk's contract. Most accounts have painted Aiyuk as the bad guy. As for Aiyuk, he's mostly remained quiet, minus his speeding incident outside of Levi's Stadium. When San Francisco voided the guarantees in his 2026 contract, Aiyuk told the NFLPA he would not file a grievance. He wants out.
Tight end George Kittle may have inadvertently brought some clarity to the situation.
As a guest on "Bussin with the Boys" on Tuesday, Kittle gave a timeline of his contact with Aiyuk last season and when Aiyuk stopped being around the team.
"The last time I saw Aiyuk, he was kinda at training camp, kinda not, and then he was in and out of the building throughout the first couple of weeks," Kittle said. "Then I started going out to see him in the weight room because he didn’t go into the locker room or the training room anymore. He would just go into the weight room to do his rehab." When asked when this was, Kittle confirmed it was during the 2025 season.
"I would go there and talk to him because he didn’t go to meetings or anything like that. And so I was like, I would just talk to him and let him know, 'I’m your guy. Just letting you know I love ya.' I started doing that, let's call it Week 6, and then a week later, that story came out with all the crazy stuff, and then I didn’t see him again."
It's unclear which article Kittle is referring to that widened the rift between the two sides. There were inaccuracies in this story in October. Then, there was the report from The Athletic about the 49ers voiding Aiyuk's guarantees. Both painted Aiyuk in a negative light, and the 49ers did nothing to dispel the rumors.
"That’s not something I bring up to John Lynch or Kyle Shanahan very often. I’m like, that’s on you guys. I just try to be there for the players if something is going on, cause you always want to be there for the boys. I don’t know what’s going on with Brandon. I don’t know what he’s thinking about. So I really have no idea."
Kittle did confirm that Aiyuk texted him after he was injured in San Francisco's Wild Card playoff loss in January.
"He did text me after I got hurt and said 'thinking of ya' and I said 'thanks, dude.'"
This is all interesting and gives some insight into why Aiyuk is upset with the 49ers. It appeared the rift began during contentious contract negotiations back in 2024, but that appeared to be in the past. Kittle's recollection of the situation is the most honest take we've heard on it because he's not giving the organization's side of the story. He's telling it from a teammate's perspective, and it doesn't necessarily line up with everything we've heard.
From what it all sounds like, Aiyuk was indeed working with the team on his rehab, but once the story was out, he stopped. He was upset. He didn't stop his rehab; he just continued it away from the team doctors. Almost every story we've heard about the Aiyuk/49ers saga painted Aiyuk as the bad guy. Maybe things weren't as they appeared, and the 49ers are far from blameless.
Sure, that doesn't excuse every decision Aiyuk has made, but it's also true that people may have jumped the gun on blaming him for everything.
The question isn't how this saga will end, but when. And you can bet the Commanders will provide Aiyuk with a soft landing spot, considering their need for receiver help.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: 49ers' George Kittle offers insight into Aiyuk
Continue reading...
