Things are getting awkward in the San Francisco 49ers‘ building. Jed York recently admitted something that raised one important question: Does he even follow what the Niners are up to? The team onboarded Christian Kirk in free agency in mid-March, but the news didn’t reach the owner for two weeks. When York learned about the move, he thought head coach Kyle Shanahan was up to something prohibited by the league.

“I’m like, ‘Why the hell is [Shanahan] talking about Christian Kirk?’” York said via Eric Branch’s post on X. “I’m like, ‘Is this tampering?’ I had no idea that we signed Christian Kirk.”

The 49ers locked in wide receiver Christian Kirk to a one-year, $3 million contract, which could go up to $6 million. The rumors first made the rounds on March 16, while the actual signing took place two days after that. It was an important move to add depth at the position, especially amid Brandon Aiyuk’s uncertain situation and Jauan Jennings’ exit. And yet, the team’s principal owner, Jed York, was clueless about the deal until Sunday.

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York made this confession while speaking at the 2026 NFL’s annual league meeting, held in Phoenix, Arizona, from March 29 through April 1. Turns out, he was flying for the event when he watched Shanahan discuss Christian Kirk’s signing, which had happened thirteen days before. When the owner was later told that his partial involvement could take fans by surprise, he acknowledged he should have known about the move.

Still, he tried to downplay the situation. For those unfamiliar, York is also the owner of the Premier League’s Leeds United. Also, he comes from a family that owns DeBartolo Corporation. Citing his association with other clubs, he admitted to not devoting his time fully to the Niners. However, he revealed that he maintains the culture remains intact by leaning on the right people who seamlessly execute his vision.

His key pieces on the team’s forefront include head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. The duo has completed a nine-season run with the team, including five seasons with ten wins. Under their leadership, San Francisco has made four NFC Championship appearances and played in the Super Bowl twice. With so much faith, it may not be a big deal for York to know about every deal that doesn’t involve a lot of money.

And that’s what he tried to echo while justifying his insufficient knowledge about the team’s moves.

“I have immense trust and faith in those guys,” York said. “And when you look at what we signed Christian for, right, it’s not a huge number. If we’re going to go spend a massive amount of money in free agency, obviously, we’re going to talk about that.”

“I had a good sense of what we were looking at in free agency… So you have to make sure that I don’t hamstring those guys. ‘Well, you need to call me and make sure that I approve…’ I’ve already approved what the budget is. I pay you guys enough money. Go do your job and go do it well. And I trust you to do it well.”

Meanwhile, this isn’t the only comment that showed Jed York’s limited participation in the team’s offseason decisions.

Jed York contradicts Kyle Shanahan on Aiyuk’s future

Since the offseason began, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have kept their stance regarding Brandon Aiyuk unchanged. The duo has maintained that the team will enter the 2026 season without Aiyuk. The player is currently recovering from a torn ACL and is on the left squad. But since the team doesn’t want to release him for free, they are seeking suitors who could take him in.

While they are not in a hurry to ship him, the clarity was always there. The head coach sounded promising about striking a deal that works in San Francisco’s interests, even if it takes some time. So instead of rushing, Shanahan said at the meeting that he’ll let the situation resolve on its own. But in just two hours at the same event, York reignited hopes about Aiyuk’s future with the franchise for the upcoming season.

“I think anything’s possible, right?” York said on Monday. “We want to make sure that we have as talented a roster as possible. First and foremost, he needs to get healthy and be able to perform. I think once that happens, he’s a really, really good football player.”

However, he did try to explain by highlighting the financial side of things.

In 2024, the Niners signed him to a four-year contract worth $120 million. But he made only seven appearances that year before a knee injury cut his season short. Brandon also sat out the 2025 season, and the financial loss is not sitting well with Jed York. He would like to see him play up to his usual standard again. While we’re not sure about Aiyuk’s future, the difference in leadership is definitely not looking good for the team.