The 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk agreed on an extension in late August of 2024 that both sides seemingly regretted the minute it was signed. Less than 15 months later it looks as if the two sides are headed for a split as Aiyuk has seemingly not been available to the team and in turn the 49ers voided $27 million in guaranteed salary for 2026.
NFL contracts always contain conditions for guaranteed salary to remain guaranteed. Based on the reporting surrounding the reason for voiding the guarantee it would seem as if the 49ers flagged Aiyuk failing to practice/play with the 49ers and that his injury did not preclude him from attending whatever activities the 49ers said were being missed. Aiyuk has reportedly told the NFLPA to not fight this and its an odd decision for the NFLPA to not try to get more clarity on the teams unilateral rights to void guarantees but perhaps this is an open and shut case.
Aiyuk currently counts for $15.39 million on the 2026 salary cap. If the 49ers release him outright they will take on a salary cap charge of $29.585 million. If the team opts to make him a post June 1 designation the cap charges will be $13.325 million in dead money for 2026 and $21.248 million in 2027. They would also receive a $4.987 million credit on their 2027 salary cap if they did a post June 1 release. If the issues with Aiyuk are still ongoing the 49ers could look to claw back some of their bonus money which would reduce these numbers. I believe for that to happen they would probably need to suspend him.
This contract will go down as one of the big misfires in NFL history. At the end of the day the 49ers will have paid Aiyuk about $34 million of the $120 million contract extension that was signed in 2024. He has played no games in an extension year of the contract. Including his rookie contract, the team will have paid him $48 million for 7 games, 25 receptions, and 374 yards. Had the 49ers not signed the extension they would have paid Aiyuk $14.12 million for last season and then allowed him to leave the team as a free agent.