One of the most bizarre sagas in recent NFL history is whatever is going on between the San Francisco 49ers and their estranged wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. After hints of possibly leaving the team before the 2024 season, Aiyuk signed a massive four-year, $120 million deal, but suffered a torn ACL that same season.

Since then, he hasn’t played for the 49ers, and endless headlines have followed him. Now, his former teammates are weighing in on the situation.

There’s No Telling What Comes Next for Brandon Aiyuk

After signing his massive $120 million deal, Aiyuk tore his ACL, as mentioned. He played in just seven games and caught 25 passes on 47 targets for 374 yards and zero touchdowns. He didn’t qualify for the top 100 receivers in PFN’s NFL WR Impact metric that season.

The following offseason, the 49ers voided roughly $27 million in 2026 guaranteed money on Aiyuk’s deal after asserting that he failed tofulfill contractual obligations during his rehab, including missed rehab sessions. The report also says Aiyuk disputed those allegations but didn’t challenge them because he wanted to join the Washington Commanders and his former college teammate, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

However, since November 2025, Aiyuk has essentially ghosted the 49ers, and even the NFLPA cannot reach him. In December 2025, he was placed on the reserve/left squad list, and later that month, the video of Aiyuk speeding past the 49ers’ stadium surfaced.

Then, in January 2026, 49ers general manager John Lynch said Aiyuk’s career with the 49ers was over, and then in March, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team wasn’t simply going to release him.

This is where it gets complicated, though, because the 49ers could retain his rights indefinitely, per The Athletic.

Aiyuk seemed dead set on joining the Commanders, even posting that he had purchased a home near Washington’s practice facility. However, Aiyuk and Daniels’ relationship seemed strained after Daniels laughed at a fan’s comment mocking Aiyuk.

Since that drama this offseason, the Commanders signed Stefon Diggs, and Washington’s interest in Aiyuk now appears minimal, at best.

Fans have even suggested Aiyuk as a possible candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders after head coach Klint Kubiak said earlier this offseason they were looking for more help.

In the report from “The Athletic,” they spoke with former teammates.

“What I see is that he really wants to get back in,” an ex-49ers teammate, who asked to remain anonymous because of the topic’s sensitivity, said. “That’s what the antics show to me: It shows he’s desperate.”

“I definitely keep track of him and try to check in on him,” said receiver Dante Pettis, Aiyuk’s teammate in 2020. “I figured there would be so many people trying to talk to him. … But I don’t know what’s going on.”

Aiyuk even resurfaced in conversations about the 49ers after the team beat the Miami Dolphins 35-13 on Sept. 20. The team was dealing with injuries, and a reporter asked Shanahan about Aiyuk, and he promptly said, “No.”

From here, it’s hard to say what happens with Aiyuk. As mentioned in “The Athletic” story, this coming Tuesday, October 20, will mark two years since Aiyuk tore his ACL.

Since then, he hasn’t appeared in another NFL game. Ironically, the 5-0 49ers host the 1-3-1 Commanders on Monday Night Football this Monday night.