Brandon Aiyuk $24.9M Contract Bonus Addressed by 49ers' John Lynch Amid WR's Reserved List Stint

Veteran receiver Brandon Aiyuk is due a $24.9 million option bonus from the San Francisco 49ers if he's on the roster Sept. 1, though because he remains on the reserve/left squad list, the Niners don't currently owe him that payout.

"Nothing changed there," general manager John Lynch told reporters Monday. "He's on the reserve/left squad list, and as such he's just kinda not on our roster."

When further asked about Aiyuk not currently getting paid anything he would otherwise be due on Sept. 1 given the current designation, he answered that was "correct."

Aiyuk has been on the reserve/left squad list since December, the culmination in a long drama with the Niners. After suffering a torn ACL and MCL in the 2024 season, he didn't participate in the team's scheduled rehab sessions and the Niners voided the guarantees in his deal.

He essentially ghosted the team from there and said in July he had no intention of requesting reinstatement with the team (which he would need to do to be removed from the reserve/left squad list).

"I will not be reinstating with them or ever doing any kind of business with them," he wrote in a social media post. "I'm locked in and focused on my opportunity to return to the field this season!"

The issue for Aiyuk is that he has no pathway to return to the field unless the Niners trade him or release him. At the moment they don't seem inclined to do either, given they don't currently owe him any money. If Aiyuk wants to play in the 2026 season, he'll first need to reinstate with the team, at which point they would assuredly release him.

But if Aiyuk waits until after the Nov. 10 trade deadline to do so, the Niners could outright deny any request for reinstatement. So for this situation to end, Aiyuk needs to act sooner rather than later.