Even one of Brandon Aiyuk\u2019s most outspoken supporters says any team looking to acquire the troubled-but-talented 49ers receiver needs to be \u201ccareful\u201d in how they handle the situation.<\/p>\n
Aiyuk, 27, hasn\u2019t played since he tore his ACL midway through the 2024 season. He signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension before that year, but the heated negotiations soured his relationship with the Niners to the point that the team voided guarantees in his deal and reportedly plans to release him<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before a game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 22, 2024. Getty Images<\/p>\n T.J. Houshmandzadeh in an Oakland Raiders uniform with the ball. Getty Images<\/p>\n T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Aiyuk\u2019s personal coach and a major advocate during his contract battle, was asked on the online talkshow \u201cSpeakeasy\u201d if teams should even want Aiyuk given his actions over the past year.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, they should want him,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you\u2019ve gotta be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n Aiyuk, the 25th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Arizona State, quickly became a lynchpin of Kyle Shanahan\u2019s high-powered offense in San Francisco. He hauled in 269 receptions for 3,931 yards over his first four seasons, including back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2022 and \u201923.<\/p>\n That earned him the extension, which included $76 million in guarantees. But per Houshmandzadeh, the talks got \u201creal contentious\u201d and \u201creal dirty behind the scenes.\u201d Niners general manager John Lynch and the front office did some \u201cdumb s\u2014\u201d that \u201cpissed off\u201d the star receiver, Houshmandzadeh said.<\/p>\n The 49ers paid $47 million of the guaranteed money last April but waived the remaining $29 million this past training camp, reportedly over Aiyuk not following the protocols for his ACL rehab.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Aiyuk mostly disappeared from the 49ers\u2019 facilities. <\/p>\n The team placed him on the reserve list in December and Shanahan said it had been \u201cforever\u201d since he last saw him. The next week, Aiyuk posted a video to social media of him speeding past Levi\u2019s Stadium, exceeding 90 mph.<\/p>\n T. J. Houshmandzadeh speaks during the NFL Voting Panel on the BETX Main Stage: Where Black Music Lives during the 2024 BET Experience Fan Fest at Los Angeles Convention Center on June 28, 2024. Getty Images for BET<\/p>\n Houshmandzadeh said he hadn\u2019t spoken with Aiyuk \u201cin a while\u201d but said he never saw this side of him during their work together. He speculated the \u201cmonster\u201d has always been inside Aiyuk and \u201cthe money just brought the monster out of him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat he did last year is kind of crazy,\u201d Houshmandzadeh said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got all this guaranteed money, you ain\u2019t showing up, you\u2019re getting fined, and you basically forego, what was it, like $30 million, right? \u2026 Like, if you\u2019re a team and you give him a good contract, is this what you\u2019re gonna get? Because this is what he has shown us.\u201d<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> That said, Houshmandzadeh added, \u201cI would want him on my team.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s got to be at the right price,\u201d he continued. \u201cI\u2019ve got to make sure financially that we are protected as a team and as an organization because I\u2019ve never seen anybody do this at so young of an age, with so many years ahead of him. I\u2019ve just never seen this.\u201d<\/p>\n The comments came after it was reported this week that the 49ers intended to release Aiyuk. However, ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter clarified that the Niners did not plan to do so anytime soon<\/a>. They could hold on to Aiyuk and attempt to recoup some value with a trade during the NFL draft.<\/p>\n Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 10, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. Getty Images<\/p>\n If Aiyuk does hit the open market, Schefter said the Commanders could be a suitor. Their quarterback is Jayden Daniels, whom Aiyuk played with at ASU. Houshmandzadeh put the odds at \u201c99.99%\u201d that Aiyuk ends up in Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cHe wants to play football. He does. I do know that,\u201d Houshmandzadeh said. \u201cHe wants to play football. He wants to play football with Jayden Daniels as his quarterback. \u2026 I hope that if he goes with the Commanders, which I believe he is, that being with (Daniels) will kind of bring that excitement and that love for the game back to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t
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