While the San Francisco 49ers are cruising toward the playoffs, a storm is brewing internally around star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and his own mentor just fanned the flames. Aiyuk has not been playing because of an ACL injury, and TJ Houshmandzadeh just made the situation even more intense for head coach Kyle Shanahan, general manager John Lynch, and others.

“Front line money? Nah. Anybody who gives (Brandon Aiyuk) front line money, they’re liable to get fired. You can’t,” said Houshmandzadeh on December 18. “Look at what he just did.”

The way things have played out between Brandon Aiyuk and the franchise is unexpected. After all the drama last year, when the 49ers were looking to trade him or check their salary caps, he signed a four-year, $120 million contract. But things worsened after his ACL injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7 of the 2024 season.

However, many people overlooked small but critical details. The 33rd Team reporter Ari Meirov claimed that the 49ers told the receiver to either accept the offer or be ready for a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This year, too, the Niners voided his guarantees for the 2026 season. The receiver has also gone absent from the Niners’ meetings and team activities, frustrating Kyle Shanahan and fans.

Houshmandzadeh has been critical of paying big money up front, even when they signed a 5-year, $265 million contract with their quarterback, Brock Purdy. He had said then that $47 million would have been the right (and the biggest amount for the signal caller).  It’s a thing of the past now.

The receiver suddenly became a hot topic after the 49ers placed him on the injured reserve list.

Kyle Shanahan makes surprising claims about Brandon Aiyuk

The official timeline for Aiyuk’s recovery seems at odds with his prolonged absence from the team facilities. The Niners traded their key receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in the offseason. It left them depleted. The head coach claimed Aiyuk stayed away from the team while recovering.

“I didn’t get to hang out around Aiyuk much since he tore his ACL in Week 7 versus Kansas City,” Shanahan said. “We’ve been trying to get him back to our team since then, and haven’t been able to pull that off. Haven’t totally had the opportunity to get him part of our team. He has been extremely distant since he got hurt. Was hoping it would happen once he got healthy, but it never happened.”

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After their Week 15 win over the Tennessee Titans, the situation hasn’t improved. In fact, Shanahan clarified that neither he nor his players have seen Aiyuk for over a month

“When Brandon gets my age, he’ll regret it,” Houshmandzadeh said.

The 27-year-old is still in the recovery process. With his coach questioning his value and his team confirming his distance, Aiyuk’s future in San Francisco is more uncertain than ever, leaving his comeback dependent on mending relationships as much as his injured knee.