Even one of Brandon Aiyuk’s most outspoken supporters says any team looking to acquire the troubled-but-talented 49ers receiver needs to be “careful” in how they handle the situation.
Aiyuk, 27, hasn’t played since he tore his ACL midway through the 2024 season. He signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension before that year, but the heated negotiations soured his relationship with the Niners to the point that the team voided guarantees in his deal and reportedly plans to release him.
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T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Aiyuk’s personal coach and a major advocate during his contract battle, was asked on the online talkshow “Speakeasy” if teams should even want Aiyuk given his actions over the past year.
“Yes, they should want him,” he said. “But you’ve gotta be careful.”
Aiyuk, the 25th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Arizona State, quickly became a lynchpin of Kyle Shanahan’s high-powered offense in San Francisco. He hauled in 269 receptions for 3,931 yards over his first four seasons, including back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2022 and ’23.
That earned him the extension, which included $76 million in guarantees. But per Houshmandzadeh, the talks got “real contentious” and “real dirty behind the scenes.” Niners general manager John Lynch and the front office did some “dumb s—” that “pissed off” the star receiver, Houshmandzadeh said.
The 49ers paid $47 million of the guaranteed money last April but waived the remaining $29 million this past training camp, reportedly over Aiyuk not following the protocols for his ACL rehab.
Aiyuk mostly disappeared from the 49ers’ facilities.
The team placed him on the reserve list in December and Shanahan said it had been “forever” since he last saw him. The next week, Aiyuk posted a video to social media of him speeding past Levi’s Stadium, exceeding 90 mph.
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Houshmandzadeh said he hadn’t spoken with Aiyuk “in a while” but said he never saw this side of him during their work together. He speculated the “monster” has always been inside Aiyuk and “the money just brought the monster out of him.”
“What he did last year is kind of crazy,” Houshmandzadeh said. “You’ve got all this guaranteed money, you ain’t showing up, you’re getting fined, and you basically forego, what was it, like $30 million, right? … Like, if you’re a team and you give him a good contract, is this what you’re gonna get? Because this is what he has shown us.”
That said, Houshmandzadeh added, “I would want him on my team.”
“But it’s got to be at the right price,” he continued. “I’ve got to make sure financially that we are protected as a team and as an organization because I’ve never seen anybody do this at so young of an age, with so many years ahead of him. I’ve just never seen this.”
The comments came after it was reported this week that the 49ers intended to release Aiyuk. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter clarified that the Niners did not plan to do so anytime soon. They could hold on to Aiyuk and attempt to recoup some value with a trade during the NFL draft.
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If Aiyuk does hit the open market, Schefter said the Commanders could be a suitor. Their quarterback is Jayden Daniels, whom Aiyuk played with at ASU. Houshmandzadeh put the odds at “99.99%” that Aiyuk ends up in Washington.
“He wants to play football. He does. I do know that,” Houshmandzadeh said. “He wants to play football. He wants to play football with Jayden Daniels as his quarterback. … I hope that if he goes with the Commanders, which I believe he is, that being with (Daniels) will kind of bring that excitement and that love for the game back to him.”