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nick wagner
Santa Clara, California – Wide Receiver brandon ayuk hasn’t returned yet san francisco 49ers After suffering a terrible right knee injury in October 2024. With six games left in the regular season, it is more than likely he will not play for them again.
During training camp, the 49ers voided Aiyuk’s guaranteed money for 2026 because he was not meeting the requirements of that deal, a league source said Friday. The Athletic first reported the contract change, which includes a $24.935 million option bonus. That bonus originally became guaranteed on April 1st of this year and has now been canceled.
Aiyuk is also set to receive a base salary of $1.215 million plus bonuses for workouts and per-game appearances. But it’s unclear whether any of it will be paid out, as the voiding of his 2026 guarantees would clear the way for the Niners to part ways with him soon.
At present, the question remains whether Aiyuk will play this season. He tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in the Week 7 loss kansas city chiefs Further rehabilitation is being carried out in 2024.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said during training camp that the team expected Aiyuk to return to practice around Week 7. On Monday, Shanahan said there was no change in Aiyuk’s status.
“Brandon is just week-to-week,” Shanahan said. “When he had such a big injury, it was just a matter of waiting until he felt completely comfortable and starting to practice.”
According to a source, Aiyuk has still not been cleared to return. Of course, that doesn’t mean the 49ers are happy with the situation, which began just months before he signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension on August 29, 2024.
That extension came together after a lengthy standoff in which Aiyuk was almost traded cleveland browns, new England Patriots And pittsburgh steelers In different stages.
Just before the Niners almost traded Aiyuk to Pittsburgh, he and Shanahan seemed to understand things, and Aiyuk agreed to sign the offer.
But soon after, there were signs of friction, including a public disagreement between Shanahan and Aiyuk on the practice field, in which Aiyuk was asked to change out of the red shorts he was wearing for the black shorts the rest of the team was wearing.
After missing training camp in 2024 due to a contract dispute, Aiyuk struggled through the first four games, but returned to form in Week 5 when he had eight catches for 147 yards. Arizona CardinalsTwo weeks later, he suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Chiefs,
According to sources, if that injury had not occurred, the Niners were expected to trade Aiyuk in the offseason. But with health concerns and their lucrative deals, a serious trade market never materialized.
Despite not playing, Aiyuk was a frequent presence in practices during training camp, even earning praise from receivers coach Leonard Hankerson for his willingness to help the team’s other wideouts.
Although Aiyuk has participated in workouts and rehab, he has not attended a practice open to the media in several weeks and has not been around the locker room during media sessions.
Aiyuk remains on the list of those physically unable to perform. Since Aiyuk is not on injured reserve, he will not count against the team’s limit of eight players it can bring back from that list, meaning the 49ers can open a window for Aiyuk to practice without playing in a game.
On November 5, Shanahan was asked if Aiyuk could play this season.
Shanahan then said, “I’m pretty confident he’s going to do it eventually.” “At the very least, open his practice window.”
The 49ers are scheduled to hold their final practice of the week on Saturday afternoon before Monday night’s game. carolina panthersShanahan is set to speak after practice,
