NFL Reinstates 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, Grants Two-Week Roster Exemption
San Francisco has until Nov. 23 to decide whether to trade, release or keep the estranged receiver, and Kyle Shanahan said the move 'means absolutely nothing to our team.'
Brandon Aiyuk is officially back in the NFL. The league reinstated the 49ers receiver from the reserve/left squad list on Monday after he reported for his physical, and it granted San Francisco a two-week roster exemption that gives the team until Nov. 23 to make a move, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.
The NFL has reinstated 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk from Reserve/Left Squad, per the wire. The league has granted San Francisco a two-week roster exemption, giving the team until Nov. 23 to make a roster move.View on X →
Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero): The NFL has reinstated 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk from Reserve/Left Squad, per the wire. The league has granted San Francisco a two-week roster exemption, giving the team until Nov. 23 to make a roster move.
The exemption runs through San Francisco's Week 11 game against the Vikings in Mexico City. Kyle Shanahan made it clear it doesn't change anything for his team.
Aiyuk had been on the reserve/left squad list since December. He hired Drew Rosenhaus, filed for reinstatement in late October and met with the team Friday in a session that lasted about 75 minutes. On his way in, he said he was back to 100% after a long rehab from the torn ACL, MCL and meniscus he suffered in his right knee on Oct. 20, 2024.
Now the 49ers have to decide what to do with him. Trading Aiyuk has long been the preferred option, but San Francisco hasn't found a partner, and the deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Releasing him has looked like the most plausible outcome for months. Keeping him on the 53-man roster appears off the table, since Shanahan has said the team has moved on and has said it's "been over for our football team for a long time."
Money is still part of any exit. Aiyuk owes the team roughly $13 million in bonus forfeiture, a dispute that could need a settlement or arbitration. None of it touches a 49ers team that is 7-1 without him.