Brandon Aiyuk owes the San Francisco 49ers about $13 million in bonus money, the NFL told the wide receiver this week as he tries to return to the league. The league sent Aiyuk and the NFL Players Association a letter on Thursday saying he must repay bonuses he received after signing a four-year, $120 million extension just before the 2024 season. The money has become the main obstacle in Aiyuk’s attempt to get reinstated and move on from San Francisco.
Brandon Aiyuk filed paperwork with the NFL in late October to get back on the roster, and he arrived at the 49ers’ business offices on Friday afternoon with his new agent, Drew Rosenhaus. The two sides met for about 75 minutes, and Rosenhaus left saying only that talks were “to be continued.” Brandon Aiyuk, 28, has not played a game in more than two years. He tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee against the Kansas City Chiefs on 20 October 2024, and his relationship with the team has broken down since then.
Brandon Aiyuk reports to 49ers facility with agent
The NFL Management Council and the NFL Players Association are both involved in trying to settle the bonus dispute. The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero first reported the $13 million figure, and a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed it to the Associated Press. The sides could reach an agreement for Aiyuk to pay the money back, or the dispute could go to arbitration. Either way, the process may take time, and Aiyuk will remain under contract with the 49ers after he is reinstated by the NFL.
Aiyuk did not address the financial issues as he arrived for the meeting on Friday. “I’m back to 100 percent and looking to get reinstated into the National Football League,” he said. General manager John Lynch told the team’s flagship radio station KNBR on Thursday that the situation was “unique” and that the team was trying to work through it. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he was not involved in the discussion and had moved on from the situation.
Brandon Aiyuk bonus dispute follows voided guarantees
The $13 million is separate from about $27 million in 2026 guarantees the 49ers already voided. San Francisco voided that money in July 2025 after Aiyuk missed meetings and other team activities last summer while he was rehabilitating his knee injury. The team then placed him on the reserve/left squad list, which means the 49ers do not have to pay him unless he applies for reinstatement and the league grants it. The bonus dispute covers money already paid to Aiyuk, rather than pay he was due to receive in the future.
Brandon Aiyuk hired Rosenhaus with the aim of being reinstated and finding a new team soon. He also faces a separate legal matter, a misdemeanor arrest warrant issued in June for exhibition of speeding after he filmed himself driving past the 49ers facility well above the 40-mile-per-hour speed limit. That case is apart from the contract dispute, but it adds to a long list of issues that have kept him away from the game for two seasons.
The meeting on Friday took place at the team’s business offices near Levi’s Stadium, with police standing outside the stadium, according to ESPN. Lynch said San Francisco was in contact with the NFL Management Council about a possible resolution. The 49ers have not said whether they will grant Brandon Aiyuk his release or try to trade him before Tuesday’s deadline, and Rosenhaus gave no hint after the meeting ended. The two sides left without a deal, and the agent’s three words were the only public comment from either side that day.
What happens next for Brandon Aiyuk
A release remains the most likely outcome once the money is settled, according to ESPN, though the 49ers would prefer a trade before the deadline on Tuesday, 10 November. Brandon Aiyuk’s name did not appear on the NFL’s transaction wire on Friday, and no reinstatement, release or trade involving him was recorded in the league’s personnel notice that day. Reinstatement alone would not make him a free agent. He would still be under contract with San Francisco, and the team would then decide whether to keep him, trade him or release him. Until the $13 million is resolved, that decision stays on hold, and Aiyuk’s return to the field stays out of reach.