Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

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(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk remain at a standstill as long as the player doesn’t show up. All the Niners have to do on their end is put the player on the Reserve/Left Squad list.

Nonetheless, Aiyuk has made his presence known on social media, but he’s yet to show up at the 49ers’ facilities and force the team’s hand in this situation. Moreover, KNBR’s Larry Krueger offered a blunt theory as to why the wideout has yet to show up.

“I think the 49ers are going to play a waiting game, and whenever it is in their best interest to move on, they will release him at the cutdown deadline,” Krueger said on the May 21 edition of “The Krueg Show.” “That is when he will be released. Then I think he will use that, the ‘Niners did me wrong,‘ as an excuse for why he is not ready to go.

“But in reality, he is not ready to go and may never be ready to go. Go look at that injury again; it was severe. General Manager John Lynch described it as catastrophic. It is not just another injury; it is a career-altering injury, and everyone seems to understand that.”

Larry Krueger Doubles Down on Theory for 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk

Moreover, Krueger believes this theory that Aiyuk isn’t ready to play football because there isn’t any video footage of him on the football field running routes on his own or in the 49ers’ facilities. Krueger adds that if this type of footage were out, it would generate a market for the player.

“I think video right now would generate a lot of buzz around the league because if he looked great, people would want him,“ Krueger added. “We do not have that video. He is not forcing their hand because I do not think he is ready to play. The 49ers are going to release him, but it will be in late August or early September at the cutdown deadline.

“I am sure at that point he is going to try to make it seem like they did him wrong, but I think the truth will come out that he is not ready to play or that he is a diminished player from what he was and is not the player he was. So that is my guess.”

Commanders Do Have Interest in Brandon Aiyuk

Among the teams reported to be interested in Aiyuk, only the Washington Commanders are mentioned due to the wideout’s connection with Jayden Daniels. However, the team isn’t willing to make a trade for the player.

On April 29, NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared the latest on Aiyuk, noting that there’s interest from Washington.

“I think the 49ers are like, just trade for him,“ Rapoport said during an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “He has no guaranteed money left. He is due a big number, $27 [million] or something like that, but no guaranteed money remains because he stopped showing up for rehab last year, and they took his guaranteed money away.

“If you are a team like the Commanders, who have interest, you say just cut him. You are going to cut him anyway. The Niners are saying they will not cut him and that you have to trade for him. The Commanders respond that you should just cut him. That is where things stand. It is a standoff.”

Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo