49ers void Brandon Aiyuks 2026 guaranteed money , set to release him.

[UnluckyforSome]

1 minute ago, kungfoodude said:

That's just chirping. 

Think about that from a logic standpoint. If you don't want a player back, signing someone to a 4 year, $120 mil deal isn't the way to communicate that.

The whole "didn't want him" was absolutely absurd. They could have traded him or cut him or whatever. They signed a mega extension instead. The actions are the proof.

 

Also, they aren't going to cut him. He is either gonna stay a 49er or they are going to attempt to trade him. Those are LOGICAL actions from a front office that is consistently among the best in the NFL.

There's logic, and then there is what teams actually do.

Making this all a bit murkier is the voiding of guarantees. Guaranteed money is guaranteed, and with the player not fighting it, but accepting it to facilitate whatever comes next is not typical business as usual.

[kungfoodude]

1 minute ago, UnluckyforSome said:

There's logic, and then there is what teams actually do.

Making this all a bit murkier is the voiding of guarantees. Guaranteed money is guaranteed, and with the player not fighting it, but accepting it to facilitate whatever comes next is not typical business as usual.

That 49ers front office has been very good, so I don't think they are about to do something stupid like just summarily cut him without any attempt to move him. I get that as a Panther fan, you have no concept of what logical and smart front office decisions look like, believe me. But if you do look around the league, especially the much better run organizations, there is actually intent that even a layman can understand. It doesn't have to be shrouded in Matt Rhule/Scott Fitterer "Trust Me Bro" bullshit.

The voiding of the guarantee isn't murky. It signals the intent to move on or negotiate. I am going to say it's probably 70/30 on that one. Aiyuk already has pocketed about $46 mil from the deal, so he may not feel the need to be as aggressive as he was prior to that extension. Depends on if he really wants to be a 49er or not, TBH. 

[UnluckyforSome]

Any time there is taking money away, money that has previously been promised as part of a deal, there is more to it. Any time someone is agreeing to having that money taken away, there is more to it.

We are just going to disagree on it, and that is fine too. 

 

[PNW_PantherMan]

This situation is super weird.  Why did they even agree to an extension in the first place? 

[kungfoodude]

5 minutes ago, UnluckyforSome said:

Any time there is taking money away, money that has previously been promised as part of a deal, there is more to it. Any time someone is agreeing to having that money taken away, there is more to it.

We are just going to disagree on it, and that is fine too. 

 

It's not promised, it's an option bonus. The voided the option amount for next season.

[kungfoodude]

6 minutes ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

This situation is super weird.  Why did they even agree to an extension in the first place? 

That's not exactly the order of operations. He threatened to hold out/complained/etc, they extended him and then he promptly blew his knee out the next season. The fact that he hasn't been able to get back isn't a good sign for his future so I am sure they are protecting their financial future by opting out of this bonus money for 2026. 

It gives them the flexibility to move on from him if he is unable to return to form or unable to return at all. He has injury guarantees in his contract, so he will be fine. 

[kungfoodude]

Since I am not really sure people are actually referencing his deal:

https://overthecap.com/player/brandon-aiyuk/8765

[PNW_PantherMan]

6 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

That's not exactly the order of operations. He threatened to hold out/complained/etc, they extended him and then he promptly blew his knee out the next season. The fact that he hasn't been able to get back isn't a good sign for his future so I am sure they are protecting their financial future by opting out of this bonus money for 2026. 

It gives them the flexibility to move on from him if he is unable to return to form or unable to return at all. He has injury guarantees in his contract, so he will be fine. 

It’s more than that though.  He’s disgruntled and not showing up to work when hurt.  It’s super odd for that to happen.  When’s the last time this happened? 
 

A logical conclusion is the relationship was already strained beyond repair before he signed the extension.  Which makes that extension questionable for both parties.

[kungfoodude]

2 minutes ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

It’s more than that though.  He’s disgruntled and not showing up to work when hurt.  It’s super odd for that to happen.  When’s the last time this happened? 
 

A logical conclusion is the relationship was already strained beyond repair before he signed the extension.  Which makes that extension questionable for both parties.

I mean if you read the ESPN article on the situation, it said he was earning praise at training camp this year but at the same time he somehow violated the terms of the April 1st guaranteed money that got picked up. It doesn't disclose what those terms were. Until we know that, it's probably not going to be very clear what the situation is. It doesn't sound like there is any specific strife at the moment but that he just isn't ready to play yet. Now, if you want to start some conspiracy theory on that.....perhaps they would rather not risk him being injured BECAUSE they want to move on from him in a trade. I guess we will see the resolution of that during the season. 

If I were them, now that a big chunk of that guaranteed money is voided, I would let him hit the field. Hopefully he shows out and you can get a higher return on the trade.

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47053369/san-francisco-49ers-voided-guaranteed-money-brandon-aiyuk-deal-2026