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SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has yet to return to the San Francisco 49ers after suffering a devastating right knee injury in October 2024. With six games left in the regular season, it's increasingly possible he won't play for them again. During training camp, the 49ers voided Aiyuk's guaranteed money for 2026 because he had not been meeting the requirements of that deal, a league source said Friday. The Athletic first reported the contract alteration, which includes an option bonus worth $24.935 million. That bonus originally became guaranteed April 1 of this year and has now been voided. Aiyuk is also scheduled to receive a $1.215 million base salary and has bonuses for workouts and per-game appearances. But it's unclear whether any of that will be paid, as the voiding of his 2026 guarantees clears the way for the Niners to part ways with him soon. For now, the question remains whether Aiyuk will play this season. He tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in a Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 and has been rehabilitating. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said during training camp that the team hoped Aiyuk would return to practice sometime around Week 7. On Monday, Shanahan said Aiyuk's status hasn't changed. "Brandon's just week-to-week," Shanahan said. "When he had such a big injury like that, just waiting until he is fully comfortable to come up and start practicing." According to a source, Aiyuk has still not been cleared to return. That does not mean the 49ers have been happy with the situation, which began a few months before he signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension Aug. 29, 2024. That extension came together after a long standoff in which Aiyuk was nearly traded to the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers at various stages. Just before the Niners nearly traded Aiyuk to Pittsburgh, he and Shanahan seemed to figure things out, and the wide receiver agreed to sign the offer. But soon after, there were signs of discord, including a public disagreement between Shanahan and Aiyuk on the practice field in which Aiyuk was told to change from the red shorts he was wearing into the black ones the rest of the team was wearing. After not participating in training camp in 2024 due to the contract dispute, Aiyuk struggled through the first four games but appeared to be rounding into form in Week 5 when he had eight catches for 147 yards against the Arizona Cardinals. Two weeks later, he suffered the season-ending knee injury against the Chiefs. Had it not been for that injury, the Niners had hoped to trade Aiyuk in the offseason, sources said. But with health concerns and his lucrative deal, a serious trade market never materialized. Despite not playing, Aiyuk was a consistent presence at practice during training camp, earning praise from wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson for his willingness to help the team's other wideouts. Though Aiyuk has attended workouts and rehab, he hasn't been at the portion of practice open to media in weeks and has not been around the locker room during media sessions. Aiyuk remains on the physically unable to perform list. Because Aiyuk is not on injured reserve, he would not count against the team's limit of eight players it can bring back from that list, meaning the 49ers could open Aiyuk's window to practice without him playing in a game. On Nov. 5, Shanahan was asked if Aiyuk could play this season. "I'm pretty confident that he is going to eventually," Shanahan said then. "At least, open up his practice window." The 49ers are scheduled to hold their last practice of the week Saturday afternoon ahead of Monday night's game against the Carolina Panthers. Shanahan is set to speak after practice.
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