SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Estranged San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, the agent told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday.
Rosenhaus told Schefter that he is "working on getting [Aiyuk] back to work and playing again in the NFL." Aiyuk has not played in an NFL game since Oct. 20, 2024, against the Kansas City Chiefs, when he tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee.
For most of the time since, Aiyuk and the Niners have been at odds. The team placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list in December after Aiyuk stopped showing up at the team facility. That came on the heels of the Niners voiding roughly $27 million in guaranteed money on Aiyuk's contract in July 2025 because he did not do the requisite rehab sessions and check-ins with the team during that offseason.
When Aiyuk did not report for training camp in July, he reverted to the reserve/did not report list. For Aiyuk to play again, he must first apply for reinstatement with the NFL. If he does that, the Niners will then need to decide what to do with his rights.
San Francisco has tried unsuccessfully to trade Aiyuk in the past, but if he's reinstated, the more likely outcome would be the team releasing him. Either way, 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have made it repeatedly clear that Aiyuk has played his last snap in San Francisco.
Most recently, despite myriad injuries at receiver, when Shanahan was asked if he would reconsider a reunion with Aiyuk in September, Shanahan said, simply, "no."
Over the summer, Aiyuk took to social media multiple times to voice his displeasure with the Niners and attempted to goad them into releasing him while also saying he wouldn't "do business" with the team at all. On multiple occasions, Aiyuk also implied or openly suggested that he wanted to join the Washington Commanders to play with quarterback Jayden Daniels, with whom he had formed a friendship in their shared time together at Arizona State.
It's unclear whether landing in Washington is even an option still with the Commanders having signed veteran Stefon Diggs and having other wideouts they're hoping to develop.
As it stands, Aiyuk's status on the reserve/did not report list means the Niners are not paying him and he does not count against their roster. The Niners originally selected Aiyuk, 28, with the No. 25 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Before his knee injury, Aiyuk had emerged as one of the NFL's most productive wideouts. He had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on his way to second-team All-Pro honors in 2023.