Even those close to Brandon Aiyuk are dumbfounded by how things have turned out with the 49ers.

TJ Houshmandzadeh, Aiyuk’s receivers coach, weighed in on the bizarre situation that has resulted in Aiyuk being unable to suit up in red and gold for the remainder of the 2025 NFL season after San Francisco placed him on the reserve/left squad list last week.

And let’s just say Houshmandzadeh didn’t shy away from speaking his truth.

“Man, to me, it’s crazy,” Houshmandzadeh said Thursday on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs.” “I’m going to be honest. Number one, there’s just no way in hell I fight for every dollar that I want, and now I’m going to give up millions. I don’t understand it. They offered you 28 [million], you didn’t want 28. You wanted 30 and you were not fine until you received it. You get it, and now you let it go, because you don’t want to show up to meetings. You don’t want to go to your rehab.

“He’s going to get to my age and regret that. I promise you that. He’s going to regret it because you never make that money up. So if you’re a coach and you’re an organization, I want him on my team because he’s a good player, but ain’t no way in hell I’m paying him millions and millions of dollars. I’m not giving him 20 million, and you just let 30 go. So, I wish him the best. The decisions he’s making, I don’t believe it’s a smart decision.

“But hey, man, some people like the game and some people love it.”

Whew.

Houshmandzadeh was one of Aiyuk’s biggest vocal advocates for a contract extension last offseason, but it’s evident he also will be critical of his client during his wrongs.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said he hasn’t seen Aiyuk “in forever,” prompting the 49ers to make the decision they did with the remainder of his 2025 campaign.

The 49ers voided the remaining guaranteed money in Aiyuk’s contract early in training camp due to his failure to live up to the terms of his contract. Lynch told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco on “49ers Game Plan” that he felt like Aiyuk gave the 49ers no choice after not adhering to team policies.

And it’s never appeared more likely that Aiyuk’s 49ers tenure is nearing an end.

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