One of the most bizarre NFL stories of the past few seasons has centered on San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Currently on the team’s Reserve/Left Squad list, Aiyuk’s whereabouts remain unclear. The 49ers have reportedly attempted to contact him to discuss his future with the organization, but those efforts have gone unanswered.
As more time passes, Aiyuk appears increasingly untradeable. Reports indicate that teams around the league view him as a risk not worth taking. At this point, even a conditional seventh-round pick reportedly isn’t enough to generate interest.
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So what options do the 49ers have left?
Potential trade partners face several unanswered questions. Will Aiyuk report? Can he pass a physical? Is he capable of returning to his previous level of play? Until those questions are answered, he remains virtually untradeable.
Ultimately, this situation is likely to end in one of two ways. The 49ers can release him after the June 1 deadline, or they can continue keeping him on the Reserve/Left Squad list. Because the team has already avoided triggering his guarantees, Aiyuk currently is not being paid.
What began as a contract dispute has evolved into one of the NFL’s strangest ongoing sagas. And for now, there appears to be no end in sight.