The Brandon Aiyuk standoff with the San Francisco 49ers isn’t going away. And according to one league insider, the wide receiver still has a few cards left to play — if he actually wants out.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk laid out what he thinks comes next for Aiyuk after the receiver fired his agent last week. Aiyuk has been trying to force a trade to the Washington Commanders, but the 49ers have held firm so far. Florio says the real pressure move hasn’t happened yet.
“His next step could be to file a petition for reinstatement with the NFL because he is on the reserve/left squad list,” Florio said Monday on PFT Live. “We talked about this last week. He can’t just show up at the 49ers facility on the first day of training camp and be released. Before he can do that, he needs to be reinstated.”
Why filing for reinstatement matters
Aiyuk isn’t currently on the active roster. He’s on the reserve/left squad list, which is basically a holding pattern for players who aren’t showing up. The 49ers could keep him there indefinitely. But if Aiyuk wants to report to camp — and more importantly, force San Francisco to either play him or deal him — he needs the NFL to sign off first.
Florio thinks Aiyuk should submit that paperwork well before training camp opens. Veterans report July 25. Rookies show up July 18. If Aiyuk waits until the last minute, the league might not process it in time. And that would leave him stuck on the sideline while the 49ers move on without him.
The contract situation is the real knot here. Aiyuk is still under his rookie deal. If he shows up and gets hurt in practice, the 49ers would be on the hook for his salary with zero return. That’s not a risk they want to take. So if Aiyuk forces his way back into the building, the team may have to make a decision it doesn’t want to make.
What happens if he petitions
Florio isn’t convinced it’s automatic. “We assume it’s automatic but we also assumed the supplemental draft was automatic. So who knows what happens when he petitions for reinstatement,” he said. “But we can’t know until he does. That’s his next step.”
The 49ers have been here before. They’ve managed holdouts and contract squabbles in recent years, but this one feels different. Aiyuk has made it clear he wants out. Washington is reportedly interested. The question is whether San Francisco will blink before training camp starts, or let this drag into the regular season.
Either way, the clock is ticking. July 25 is less than two weeks away. If Aiyuk wants to make a real move, he needs to file that paperwork soon. If not, he’ll stay in limbo — and the 49ers will keep controlling the situation.
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