feature-image

Imago

feature-image

Imago

The tension between the San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk may have just reached another boiling point. It has been almost a year since the contract standoff started. And now, while the 28-year-old WR publicly aired his frustrations with the franchise, 49ers insider Matt Maiocco believes that the team could now be retaliating by targeting Aiyuk’s $18.4 million payday.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

YouTube channel

“I would put it somewhere between 13.8 million and 18.4 million. So, on the $23 million signing bonus, which is basically an advance for future performance, it comes out to $4.6 million per year for those five years. So if the 49ers voided his contract a year ago in late July, they could get as much as 18.4 million back. They could get it if they just go, okay, he had the two years, and so they’d get 13.8 million back, whatever the case may be. The 49ers are certainly going after that money.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Brandon Aiyuk is currently signed to a four-year, $120 million contract with the

ADVERTISEMENT

San Francisco 49ers, signed in 2024. On top of that, the Niners also paid him a $23 million signing bonus. But due to the ongoing dispute between the two, the 49ers may demand the WR to return a portion of that money.

Under the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), teams can reclaim prorated portions of already-paid signing bonuses if a player commits a “forfeitable breach” by failing to participate or report to the team. While the exact amount has not been determined yet, Maiocco believes it to be anywhere between “13.8 million and 18.4 million.”

article-image

Imago

The standoff between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers began when Aiyuk didn’t rehab with the team last season, refused to participate in the mandatory team meetings and training camps, and ghosted the front office. The franchise then voided Aiyuk’s 2026 guaranteed money, and by December 2025, the team had already placed him on the reserve/left squad list.

Since last month, Aiyuk has been taking a dig at the 49ers on different social media platforms, calling management

“dumb” and “stupid” for paying him so much, and has also threatened them to release him to sign with the Washington Commanders.

Now, it remains to be seen how the Brandon Aiyuk-49ers conflict will end and if any team is willing to sign the wide receiver, considering how he has been acting throughout the offseason.

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Nilaav Ranjan Gogoi

439 Articles

Nilaav Gogoi is an NFL Writer at EssentiallySports, where he covers the league's news cycle with a focus on player storylines, off-field and legal developments, and the reactions that follow the NFL's biggest controversies. His reporting ranges across teams like the Browns, Steelers, Eagles, and Giants, tracking everything from roster drama to the veteran voices weighing in on the league's hot-button moments. A former national-level athlete, Nilaav brings a competitive perspective to his writing, pairing technical insight with clear, accessible storytelling. He moved to football after more than two years covering MMA and boxing on the combat sports beat. He is also pursuing a degree in Sports Management, approaching his work with analytical rigor and long-term industry awareness, aiming to deliver informed, engaging coverage for NFL fans.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Antra Koul

ADVERTISEMENT