What happened to Brandon Aiyuk? How ex-All-Pro went from $120 million to on the outside looking in on NFL
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- Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL on an awkward hit in Week 7 of 2024 against the Chiefs and has not played an NFL game since — more than 600 days ago.
- After a 2023 second-team All-Pro season (75 catches, 1,342 yards, 7 TDs), Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the 49ers in late August 2024; in November 2025 the team voided $27 million in 2026 salary guarantees, citing unmet contract obligations.
- John Lynch said in January 2026 "it's safe to say he's played his last snap" with the 49ers, and the team replaced Aiyuk by signing Mike Evans and Christian Kirk in free agency and drafting De'Zhaun Stribling.
- Aiyuk posted a video of himself driving 104 mph in a 40-mph zone near the 49ers' stadium in December 2025; the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office issued a misdemeanor speeding warrant for his arrest in June 2026.
- Aiyuk has publicly refused to apply for reinstatement — a prerequisite for joining any team — while calling the 49ers "little-ass boys" and "stupid" on Instagram and repeatedly insisting he's "gone be a Commander soon."
- His best pipeline to Washington, Jayden Daniels, has become a target of Aiyuk's social media criticism even as he claims the Commanders — who lack proven receivers behind Terry McLaurin — are his only landing spot.
Why it matters: Aiyuk's standoff is a rare case where a player who earned a $120 million extension on the strength of a 1,342-yard All-Pro season has become effectively unemployable — not because of his play, but because he remains on the reserve/left squad list, refuses reinstatement, and has alienated the one franchise (Washington) most likely to sign him. Until that changes, the 49ers hold his rights and he cannot practice, sign, or play.
