Brandon Aiyuk returned to the San Francisco 49ers’ business offices on Friday and declared himself healthy and ready to be reinstated into the NFL. He arrived a little before 3 p.m. local time in a black van, with a couple dozen reporters waiting outside and a news helicopter overhead.
“Oh yeah. I’m feeling great. Feeling healthy. Going through the recovery process. A long rehab process,” Aiyuk told reporters. “I’m back to 100 percent and looking to get reinstated into the National Football League.”
Thanks for the submission!
•
Fans took to the comments to share their reactions to Aiyuk wanting to return to the gridiron.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
“No chance he plays for the Niners again,” one fan commented.
“Man showed up just to find out he owes his employer 13 mil,” another fan said.
“Not once did he say he wants to play for the 49ers,” a fan wrote.
“Reminds me of a lackluster version of TO working out in front of his house,” another fan said.
“Can’t wait to see how down bad his bank account was to make him come back,” one fan wrote.
“This should be a lesson for all athletes to not burn bridges. He is done,” a fan commented.
The sticking point is money. According to reports, the NFL told Brandon Aiyuk he owes the 49ers about $13 million in bonuses already paid to him. San Francisco voided roughly $27 million in guaranteed money in July 2025 after concluding he skipped required meetings and team activities while rehabbing.
They then placed him on the reserve/left squad list in December. He moved to the reserve/did not report list after skipping training camp.
Kyle Shanahan’s comments on the Brandon Aiyuk meeting
Kyle Shanahan skipped the meeting and had no stake in it. Speaking during Friday’s press conference, the 49ers coach said that the situation has no connection with the team.
“No clue. Your guess is as good as mine,” Shanahan said. “I couldn’t care less. It’s been over for our football team for a long time.
“I look at this as it has zero to do with our football team. And anything that has zero to do with our football team, especially during the football season, I will give zero thoughts to.”
The 49ers drafted Brandon Aiyuk with the No. 25 pick in 2020. The wide receiver has 294 catches for 4,305 yards and 25 touchdowns in 69 games with them.
The 49ers are 6-1 and host the Raiders on Sunday.
Edited by Priyam Hazarika
