After Aiyuk missed the majority of the following offseason during his contentious contract negotiations, he got off to a slow start in 2024 before tearing his ACL. He hasn’t seen the field since, and his future with the 49ers remains murky.

49ers GM John Lynch finally confirms the obvious about Brandon Aiyuk

Took him long enough to say it.

Finally, someone on the 49ers said it.

All season, the 49ers pretended like there was a realistic chance that Brandon Aiyuk would play for them this season. Week after week, John Lynch would go on the radio and talk about how he could see Aiyuk rehabbing when he looked through his office window, implying that Aiyuk’s return was imminent.

Turns out, his return was nothing more than a fantasy, considering the 49ers voided his guarantees in July, and there’s no way he’ll ever play again for the 49ers without them. And they know this.

Now, we really know where things stand between the 49ers and Aiyuk from a financial standpoint. So, when Lynch was asked today on KNBR if it’s realistic to expect Aiyuk to return this season, Lynch had to change his tune.

Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

“Realistic? I’m not sure,” Lynch said. “Hopeful, yeah. That’s kind of where I’ll leave that. He continues to rehab. Like I’ve always said, we’re a better football team when Brandon’s out there. I hope that’s the case. I think that’s probably what it is, is hope right now. I wish it were a little bit more than that.”

Realistically, if they really wanted Aiyuk to return this season or ever, they’d give him some or all his guarantees back. But, they don’t want him back enough to do that because they think he’s an unprofessional pain in the neck who probably won’t be worth the hassle after his catastrophic knee injury, They’re over him, and have been for a while.

So, the 49ers are hoping that Aiyuk simply has a change of heart, and decides that it’s better for him to play the final few games of the season and show what he’s capable of before the 49ers ultimately release him this offseason.

But if Aiyuk plays this season, he will run the risk of reinjury, which would cost him big bucks this offseason. So, he almost certainly won’t return.

To be fair, he had a big change of heart last year when he refused to sign the 49ers’ contract offer only to relent and sign it mere days before the season opener. Until that moment, he had been talking a big game and insisting that the 49ers trade him. When they finally found a trade partner, he balked and told the 49ers he wanted to stay.

But this feels different. This feels like Aiyuk torched the relationship and has no plans to repair it. We’ll see if he knows what he’s doing.