NFL reinstates receiver Brandon Aiyuk to the 49ers after he left the team last year

Receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been reinstated to the San Francisco 49ers by the NFL after leaving the team a year ago.

The league removed Aiyuk from the reserve/left squad list on Monday and gave the 49ers a two-week exemption before they need to add him to the 53-man roster.

Aiyuk had submitted his request for reinstatement after hiring Drew Rosenhaus as his agent. He met with the 49ers last Friday as part of his attempt to get back into the NFL.

Aiyuk has not played for more than two years since injuring his knee in October 2024 but said last week that he's healthy and wants to return to the league.

The Niners have said they have no plans to play Aiyuk again and could either trade him before Tuesday's deadline or release him before the two-game exemption expires on Nov. 23.

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan called the move “administrative” said it and doesn’t change any plans for the Niners.

“It means absolutely nothing to our team,” he said.

The 49ers are also seeking to get money back from Aiyuk. A person with knowledge of the situation said the league sent Aiyuk and the NFL Players Association a letter last week saying that he owes the 49ers about $13 million 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.

Aiyuk had been on the reserve/left squad list since 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.

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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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

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