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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan went there — bluntly — after Sunday’s 37-24 win over the Tennessee Titans, addressing Brandon Aiyuk’s continued absence and the team’s decision to put the receiver on the reserve/left squad list.
“We haven’t seen him in forever. I haven’t seen him in a month. Hasn’t been an issue with our team at all. We’ve been plugging away. No big deal,” Shanahan said during his postgame press conference.
That quote is going to land like a brick in NFL circles, because it’s not just a coach commenting on an injury. It’s a head coach publicly acknowledging a total disconnect with a player who was supposed to be a major part of the franchise’s future.
Kyle Shanahan’s Postgame Quote Put Aiyuk’s Situation on Blast
The immediate context here is simple: Aiyuk can’t play again for San Francisco this season.
The 49ers placed him on the reserve/left squad list on Saturday, a move that officially makes him ineligible to return in 2025.
But Shanahan’s tone after the Titans game is what turned this into a headline monster. Coaches usually dance around topics like this — “we’ll keep working through it,” “we’ll see where it goes,” “we’re hopeful.”
Shanahan didn’t sound hopeful. He sounded done.
And when he was asked if anyone had been in touch with Aiyuk, Shanahan’s answer was even colder: he indicated he hadn’t heard of any contact.
Why the 49ers Used the “Reserve/Left Squad” Designation
The “left squad” label is rare enough that it instantly raises eyebrows, and reports around the team have painted a picture of a receiver who simply stopped showing up.
NBC Sports Bay Area reported Aiyuk hadn’t been at the 49ers’ practice facility in Santa Clara for at least three weeks.
The backdrop is messy and contract-related. Aiyuk suffered a severe knee injury on October 20, 2024, against the Kansas City Chiefs, later undergoing season-ending surgery He opened the 2025 camp on the physically unable to perform list.
Then came the financial powder keg: the 49ers voided guaranteed money in his contract in late July, tied to not meeting terms while rehabbing, per reporting and team comments.
NBC Sports Bay Area also reported that Aiyuk chose not to fight the move by filing a grievance through the NFL Players Association.
What It Means for San Francisco and Aiyuk’s Future
For the 49ers, the on-field part is straightforward: they’ve already been operating without him, and Shanahan basically admitted the locker room has moved on.
The bigger question is what happens next, because Aiyuk isn’t some fringe player quietly fading out. He signed a four-year, $120 million extension in 2024, and the organization clearly viewed him as a foundational piece.
Now, the tea leaves are screaming “divorce.”
NBC Sports Bay Area noted the 49ers could potentially move on via trade or release in the offseason, depending on how the contract shakes out. And Shanahan’s “no big deal” line — whether he meant it to be spicy or not — reads like a coach mentally ripping off the Band-Aid.
