SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The NFL told disgruntled receiver Brandon Aiyuk that he needs to repay the San Francisco 49ers about $13 million he previously received in bonuses as he tries to get reinstated to the team’s roster.
Aiyuk’s new agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said earlier this week that Aiyuk had officially submitted his paperwork to the NFL to get back and was planning to report to the 49ers on Friday.
A person with knowledge of the situation said the league sent Aiyuk and the NFLPA a letter Thursday saying that he owes the 49ers the money based on bonuses he was paid after signing a four-year, $120 million extension just before the start of the 2024 season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the letter was not released.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk warms up before an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn, File
The Ringer first reported that the Niners were seeking the money back from Aiyuk.
San Francisco general manager John Lynch told the team’s flagship radio station KNBR on Thursday that it was a “unique” situation that the team was trying to work through.
“My job is to look out for the best interests of the 49ers, and as such, in this particular situation, we’re working with the NFL management council to navigate through kind of a different situation,” Lynch said. “It’s fluid. I’m going to kind of leave it at that because I’ve been recommended to do so, and I think it’s the right thing to do. We’ll look for a pathway for both sides here that works.”
MORE: Brandon Aiyuk files to be reinstated, plans to report to 49ers on Friday
Aiyuk hasn’t played a game in more than two years since going down with a knee injury in October 2024 and has been on the reserve/left squad list after leaving the Niners late last season.
He fired agent Ryan Williams during his long-running dispute with the 49ers and was without representation until he recently hired Rosenhaus.
Aiyuk will remain under contract with the 49ers after he is reinstated by the NFL. Lynch previously has said he doesn’t expect Aiyuk to play for the Niners again, while coach Kyle Shanahan said on Wednesday when asked if Aiyuk could play for San Francisco again that “there are no absolutes in life.”
The 49ers previously voided $27 million guaranteed in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026 for failing to participate in meetings and other team activities last summer when he was rehabilitating his knee injury.
Aiyuk signed the big extension just before the start of the 2024 season following a lengthy contract hold-in that kept him out of training camp. He was coming off a 2023 season when he had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns and was a second-team All-Pro.
Aiyuk had only 25 catches for 374 yards in seven games in 2024 before getting injured. The 28-year-old has 294 catches for 4,305 yards and 25 TDs since being drafted in the first round in 2020.
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