Brandon Aiyuk, the wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, publicly voiced his displeasure about the 49ers’ talk of trading him in the offseason. He made it clear to both the teams and the Mission City faithful that he wasn’t happy with the talk of moving him. Yet, despite those fiery offseason moments, things between Aiyuk and the Niners have shifted drastically.

“For a while there, we were seeing Brandon Aiyuk, and he wanted to be seen. This was in training camp, and at the start of the season,” Insider Matt Barrows of the Athletic reported. “The last month and a half, I haven’t seen him, had not seen him at practice, not in the locker room.”

Rewinding to the 2024 offseason, Aiyuk played the same game when pushing for his contract extension. The whole saga dragged from July right into September. He showed up for training camp in July but staged a hold-in, joined meetings but didn’t practice. 

The back and forth started with negotiations, then trade requests, and ended with what Aiyuk wanted: a $120 million contract. This made him one of the NFL’s highest-paid receivers. Now, it feels like history might just be repeating itself.

He deleted all 49ers-related posts on Instagram and unfollowed the team. The once outspoken star had made his presence felt, but now, that voice has faded to silence.

“Nobody knows. The agent isn’t saying anything. Aiyuk isn’t around to say anything,” Barrows added. “To me, it’s a bit odd that he’s just, you just don’t see hide nor hair of him at all, after seeing him a lot early. And not just seeing him a lot early, but him going out of his way to make himself seen.” 

Yet, with the 49ers finally hitting their stride offensively under head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system, Aiyuk’s role feels tenuous. But how does Shanahan really feel about Aiyuk at this point in the season? Is the coach ready to give up on his top-paid wideout?

Kyle Shanahan’s take on Brandon Aiyuk’s season ahead

The practice window for Brandon Aiyuk remains firmly closed. After the Niners won against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11, Shanahan put any speculations to rest, saying there would be no changes this week regarding Aiyuk’s return. 

“No, [practice window’s] not going to be [open] this week. Both of them are a week-to-week deal. I’m sure Jacob [Cowing] will probably be after the Bye Week, and then Brandon’s just week-to-week. When he had such a big injury like that, just waiting until he is fully comfortable to come up and start practicing,”​ Shanahan said.

Shanahan is cautious, but it’s clear the wideout’s comeback isn’t imminent. The description of Aiyuk’s injury, a devastating combo of ACL and MCL tears, calls for patience. But patience has been stretched thin now that the calendar has flipped beyond a year since the injury.

NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco picked up on this mood in his Week 12 mailbag, reflecting the quiet despair around Brandon’s return. Shanahan and 49ers GM John Lynch haven’t entirely shut the door on Aiyuk playing this season.

“Their comments always seem to lean a little more on the positive side. But it appears as if they also realize Aiyuk might not step on the field this season,”​ Maiocco said.

With the Niners rolling well without him, it’s becoming clear that Aiyuk’s role is more of a luxury than a necessity. His big contract and the team’s current offensive chemistry make his uncertain return a loaded topic in Santa Clara.