A key fact has emerged regarding the Brandon Aiyuk situation. And that points to a likely conclusion to the 49ers situation by 4:00 p.m. ET today.
The 49ers will likely release Aiyuk.
While it’s unclear how this happened (the player’s personnel manual indicates his 2025 salary of $1.17 million should have carried through 2026 due to his placement on the reserve/left roster), official NFL records now show Aiyuk has a base salary of $13.75 million for the remainder of 2026. That means, if he’s on the roster As of close of business Tuesday, his Week 10 salary is at $1.52 million.
They surely won’t be able to trade him at that figure. And they sure don’t want to give him $1.52 million. Even more surely, coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t want him in the building.
The only realistic option is to cut it.
There is still a story to be told about the deal that was made to get the league to reinstate Aiyuk. The NFL and 49ers were pressuring Aiyuk to repay more than $13 million in previously paid bonuses.
Our hypothesis? Aiyuk made a large payment to the 49ers (maybe $6 or $7 million), the NFL reinstated him and now Aiyuk will get his freedom.
The next question will be where he lands.
Gn sports
