The 49ers don't appear to be trading Aiyuk anymore, meaning the fractured relationship with the 49ers is now in Kyle Shanahan's hands.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has every right to be frustrated with the San Francisco 49ers right now.
Sure, he finally got his wish for a lucrative contract extension an offseason ago, but that came at a cost of angering the front office, reports of which subsequently revealed a continued frustration from those atop the franchise.
The Niners came close to trading Aiyuk that offseason, too, only to be stopped at the 11th hour by head coach Kyle Shanahan himself.
Even after Aiyuk received his extension, which was followed by an abbreviated 2024 campaign that ended for the receiver in a torn ACL and MCL, the trade buzz picked up again in light of San Francisco's efforts to curb spending.
The 49ers needed to trade Aiyuk prior to April 1. Otherwise, his guaranteed roster bonus (worth more than $22 million) would go into effect. That's cash, not cap space. So, even if the Niners were to trade Aiyuk at this point, they'd still be on the hook for that money.
From Aiyuk's perspective, money does talk. But he also knows San Francisco attempted to jettison him twice and still harbors resentment over caving to his contractual demands.
Business is business, yes. However, those frustrations can linger. And that creates a problem.
Brandon Aiyuk must lean on Kyle Shanahan to fix fractured relationship with 49ers
Speaking from the NFL Annual Meeting, general manager John Lynch seemed to change his tone about keeping Aiyuk on the roster in contrast to previous comments made from the scouting combine where the GM revealed the 49ers had received calls asking about trading for the offensive weapon.
"We’re excited to move forward with him," Lynch said.
It'd be easy for Aiyuk to view those statements as hollow chatter, though, meaning it's going to take a lot longer for the relationship between player and franchise to be repaired.
That's where Shanahan comes into play.
Aiyuk's recovery might stretch into the 2025 season, but the fact the Niners' wide receiver room is thinned out in the wake of last March's trade of fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel helps matters to a degree. In theory, San Francisco's leading receiver from 2022 and 2023 should have an even bigger role to play despite the presence of fellow pass catchers like Jauan Jennings and 2024 rookie Ricky Pearsall.
Shanahan, of course, can help mend that relationship by ensuring Aiyuk gets his share of targets upon returning to the fray, beefing up stats that ultimately warrant the lucrative extension received a year ago.
True, doing that might not completely erase all sour sentiments between Aiyuk and his team.
But it could sure help.
