Over the weekend, the San Francisco 49ers announced they placed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list, officially ending his season—and potentially his future with the team. NFL insider Matt Maiocco reported that the 49ers have been unable to keep tabs on Aiyuk for weeks, a far-from-ideal situation for a player the team was hoping would return from injury and contribute during a playoff push.

Aiyuk was supposed to be working his way back from the ACL and MCL injuries he suffered last season. Now, however, it appears he may have played his final snap in red and gold.


Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the situation following Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans, confirming that Aiyuk has been absent while explaining the decision to shut him down for the remainder of the season.

"We haven't seen him forever," Shanahan said. "That's a decision they make. It's been pretty simple for me. I mean, I haven't seen him in a month. And same with our team.

"It hasn't been an issue with our team at all. We've kind of been plugging away, and no big deal. It's just something we've been used to for a while."

Tight end George Kittle was also asked about the unusual circumstances surrounding Aiyuk and the 49ers, but he declined to elaborate on any impact within the locker room.

"Whatever [GM] John [Lynch] and Kyle said," Kittle commented. "I'm gonna punt on that question. It is what it is. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm just going to play ball with the guys that are here."


Shanahan acknowledged that he had hoped Aiyuk might return at some point during the season, but emphasized that he never counted on it, describing the possibility as a "great bonus" rather than an expectation.

"That would have been awesome, and we'd love to have B.A. out there," Shanahan said. "We would love to have that type of player, but something I realized early on, it wasn't going to come for a while, and there was nothing that made me sit there and think it was happening soon. I think the rest of our team [believed that] also."

As for Aiyuk's long-term future, Shanahan isn't closing the door on any possibility.

"I wouldn't say that's for sure been decided," Shanahan said. "I literally haven't had to think about B.A. or had a reason to think about him in a long time. He is under contract next year. B.A.'s a guy we've had a relationship for a while. We've always liked B.A. Everyone knows how good of a player he is.

"It's extremely unfortunate that it's gotten to this point, but when this year is over, we'll see where we're at."

Related News




Follow us on: X, Facebook, Threads, Instagram

Read Original Article
Visit 49ers Webzone

More San Francisco 49ers News