Want more ways to catch up on the latest in Bay Area sports? Sign up for the Section 415 email newsletter here and subscribe to the Section 415 podcast wherever you listen.
In a stunning twist, the 49ers have voided $27 million of money that had been fully guaranteed to Brandon Aiyuk in 2026 — and the star receiver is reportedly OK with the unprecedented maneuver.
This means that the door is open for the 49ers to move on from Aiyuk as soon as this offseason and clear about $85 million in total future salary-cap space — a game-changer for the team’s financial outlook and a move that will leave Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch searching for more help at the wide receiver position this offseason.
According to The Athletic’s Mike Silver and Dianna Russini, Aiyuk has failed to attend meetings (opens in new tab) and declined to participate in other team activities in recent months. The 49ers have, in turn, voided the $27 million guaranteed to Aiyuk in 2026. And perhaps most shockingly: Aiyuk reportedly does not want to fight the 49ers’ move via an NFL Players Association grievance.
That essentially frees the 49ers from the megadeal worth up to $120 million — at $30 million annually — that they reached with Aiyuk after an intensely acrimonious negotiation process just 15 months ago. By the time this 2025 season ends, the 49ers will have paid Aiyuk $48.9 million over two seasons. That amounts to about $24.5 million per year for just seven games, 25 catches, and no touchdowns for Aiyuk, who tore three knee ligaments on October 20, 2024 and hasn’t played since.
It’s been a disastrous deal for the 49ers, of course. But the voiding of that $27 million guaranteed next year means that they’re no longer stuck in concrete. The team had been interested in trading Aiyuk away over the past several months, but that was an essentially impossible proposition given the severity of his injury and the enormous guarantees remaining on his contract.
Now, the 49ers would only owe what they’ve already paid out to Aiyuk via his 2024 signing bonus and 2025 option bonus — a total of about $31 million — as an acceleration against the salary cap. If the 49ers remain unable to trade Aiyuk this offseason (his contract runs through 2028, now with no guaranteed money remaining past this season), it seems they would likely release him after June 1, 2026, when the accelerated dead money hit can be spread across multiple seasons.
But don’t get lost in the nitty gritty financial details. A future that doesn’t feature Aiyuk would represent a dramatic pivot away from a receiver the 49ers committed to pay as one of their A-list pillars entering the 2024 season.
Aiyuk’s early-season underperformance and subsequent knee injury changed all of that. And now, the voiding of his 2026 guarantees clears the path for the 49ers to spend a lot of money elsewhere.
The team’s financial situation tightened significantly after quarterback Brock Purdy signed a deal worth up to $265 million this past offseason. The 49ers, as a natural byproduct of record-level spending on A-list players over the past several seasons, undertook a cap-based housecleaning. They doubled and even tripled down on a core of superstars, but otherwise pivoted heavily to the cost-controlled draft and bargain-bin free agent signings to orchestrate a youth movement that filled out the rest of the roster.
After undergoing knee surgery last year, Aiyuk and the 49ers appeared to be targeting a return to the field around the middle of this season. The 25th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has instead remained on the PUP list, and Shanahan has given no indication regarding a clear-cut date to open the receiver’s practice window.
Moving forward — assuming the end of Aiyuk’s tenure with the 49ers is indeed on the horizon — the team should have much more financial flexibility to augment its roster with some big-ticket spending. The 49ers will almost certainly use a high draft pick on a wide receiver to join Ricky Pearsall in 2026, but look for them to spend their newfound money on other positions in free agency, too.
Outside of Pearsall, the 49ers have significant question marks at the wide receiver position moving forward.
Veteran Jauan Jennings is set to hit free agency this offseason after the 2025 season. Kendrick Bourne, who signed with the 49ers early in the year as an injury fill-in, and Skyy Moore, who was acquired to aid the 49ers’ as a kick and punt returner, will also become free agents.
Demarcus Robinson is slated to return for the second season of a two-year deal, while young receivers Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins are also under contract. Cowing has missed the entire season dealing with a hamstring injury while Watkins, a fourth-round draft pick out of Ole Miss, has two receptions after debuting on Oct. 26 against the Texans.