49ers Coach’s True Feelings on Brandon Aiyuk Situation Revealed

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains sidelined for the San Francisco 49ers after suffering a serious right knee injury in October 2024. With just six games left in the regular season, it is increasingly unlikely he will return this year.

Moreover, the 49ers star is in the news not because he’s nearing a return, but because of his contract, which could lead to a divorce between the team and the player.

The Athletic first reported that during training camp, the 49ers voided the guaranteed money in Aiyuk’s 2026 contract after he did not meet certain requirements. This change affected an option bonus of $24.935 million, which had been set to become guaranteed on April 1 of this year but has now been voided.

Speaking to the media on November 22, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the report and said the guarantee money in Aiyuk’s contract was voided in July.

“I know everyone got a lot of information [on November 21]; that was information that I found out in July and kind of dealt with it then,” Shanahan said. “And to me, the contract stuff and guarantees and things like that is really irrelevant to my relationship with the player and my relationship with our team and what we’re trying to do this year.

“I know I went through that stuff and talked to him a lot about it back in July. But since July, it’s been all about this season and hoping he would get healthy, and he’s been working to get healthy, and I’ve been waiting for him to come back when he’s healthy.”

49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Doesn’t Want Brandon Aiyuk Gone

Despite the 49ers deciding to void the player’s option bonus worth $24.935 million, Shanhan noted that he doesn’t personally want the Niners to move on from Aiyuk this upcoming offseason.

“What happened in July to me in my opinion doesn’t have anything to do with the future; that had to do with circumstances that were out of a coach’s hand,” Shanahan added.

“When it comes to business matters, lawyers, contracts, and the future of this, I would love for BA to be here, get healthy, and get back to really helping us out and being a part of this team. We haven’t had that in a little bit, and I still hold out hope that he can get there, but he obviously hasn’t gotten there yet.”

Will Brandon Aiyuk Play This Season for the 49ers?

Aiyuk has been on the physically unable to perform list since July 2025 and still has not been cleared to return. On October 16, 49ers general manager John Lynch stated that Aiyuk was nearing a return to the field, but so far, that hasn’t happened.

“He’s getting closer. He is getting closer,” General Manager John Lynch said in an interview with KNBR (h/t NBC Sports Bay Area). “And I can see that each week. He’s better today than he was last week at this time. That’s all positive. That’s the update.”

Since being drafted by the Niners in 2020, Aiyuk has had 294 catches for 4,305 yards and has scored 27 touchdowns in 69 games for the 49ers in his career, per StatMuse.

Sunday could launch Tyler Shough into the Saints’ history books

Tyler Shough broke one New Orleans Saints record two weeks ago, and now, he has the chance to do something even greater. On Sunday, he could be the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to beat the archrival Atlanta Falcons.

It's definitely a surprising stat, and one that gets more intriguing the more you look into it, because not every Saints rookie quarterback has played the Dirty Birds. Spencer Rattler, who many are sure to compare Shough's first set of starts to, never played them his rookie year. In fact, he's never played them at all.

There has only ever been one Saints rookie quarterback to see snaps in a win against the Falcons. Larry Cipa had eight pass attempts for 20 yards in a 13-3 win over Atlanta in 1974, filling in for an injured Bobby Scott.

Tyler Shough's development is receiving praise from Saints staff

Tyler Shough has shown progress in each game. However, despite the success, Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier says that the rookie's development is a daily process. "This is still a young player; the learning curve is very steep. Every day he's learning something new. When you get out against NFL defenses, there are going to be different pitchers, things are going to change, and people are going to show you different things."

Still, Nussmeier reiterated that he has been impressed with Shough through his two starts. "I think he's done a really good job. We saw a lot of growth from his first start out in L.A. to his second start in Carolina, and I anticipate him to stay on that same course," He said on Shough's development.

Shough says that he's just been himself. "I think behind the scenes I've always done my best to learn and continue that same preparation process. But for me, it was just kind of utilizing that work that was put into this point and just expanding on it," he said when asked how he approaches the starting job. "Just vocalizing route detail or the sense of urgency at practice, just doing it my own way and having some energy and having some fun with it. I've really enjoyed it, but it's a continual process."

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