SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brandon Aiyuk, the San Francisco 49ers receiver who has spent months on the team’s reserve/left squad list, has asked to be reinstated and intends to report to the club’s training facility on Friday afternoon, a step that will force the club to decide his future.
Aiyuk, 28, has not played since Oct. 20, 2024, when he suffered a severe knee injury. The relationship soured further after he failed to report before training camp in July 2025, and the team voided the remaining guarantees on his contract. He later largely stopped appearing at the facility during his rehabilitation, and San Francisco moved him to the reserve/left squad list.
He could have sought reinstatement at any time but had not done so until now. When he arrives, San Francisco has three paths: put him back on the active roster under his existing contract, cut him, or bring him back and shop him ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. The team has said repeatedly that Aiyuk is no longer in its plans.
Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that the news had not changed anything for him. The coach said he had no expectations and had moved on mentally, though when asked whether Aiyuk could ever play for the team again, he said nothing in life is absolute. He added that he believed the front office had been in touch with Aiyuk’s agent and that the player might need to be on site to start the process.
Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension after a lengthy contract standoff. In 69 games with San Francisco, the former first-round pick has 294 catches for 4,305 yards, and he was a second-team All-Pro in 2023.
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