The NFL reinstated Brandon Aiyuk from the reserve/left squad list on Monday, Nov. 9, but the move did not put the wide receiver back on the San Francisco 49ers’ active roster. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave the team a two-game roster exemption, allowing it until Nov. 23 to decide what to do with him.
Coach Kyle Shanahan dismissed the significance of the reinstatement when asked about it Monday. “It means absolutely nothing to our team,” he said, describing the development as administrative. Shanahan has repeatedly ruled out Aiyuk returning to the team, which gave the receiver a four-year contract extension worth $120 million in August 2024.
The reinstatement followed a meeting last week involving Aiyuk, his agent Drew Rosenhaus and 49ers officials at the team’s business offices in Santa Clara. Although Aiyuk has cleared that administrative step, neither he nor the team knows whether or when he will appear in another NFL game. A return with San Francisco remains off the table.
A trade is theoretically possible before Tuesday’s deadline at 1 p.m. PT, though a deal is considered unlikely. Aiyuk has gone 25 months without playing an NFL game, and his readiness to compete remains uncertain. If he is healthy, the expectation is that San Francisco will release him rather than allow him to join team activities or spend time at its facility.
Aiyuk’s absence began after he tore knee ligaments seven games into the 2024 season, an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of that year. While rehabilitating during the summer of 2025, he stopped reporting to team headquarters. The 49ers subsequently voided his contract guarantees and placed him on the reserve/left squad list in December 2025.
The dispute continued into the offseason, when Aiyuk shared several videos criticizing team leadership, including Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. In a July Instagram video, he announced that he had split with agent Ryan Williams. He hired Rosenhaus in October.
Rosenhaus arranged the meeting with San Francisco and helped Aiyuk seek reinstatement. Before the meeting, the agent said Aiyuk was healthy and ready to resume work, while declining to discuss where he might play.
Lynch suggested during an appearance on KNBR last week that he could share more information this week. Describing the unusual situation, the general manager said there was “no playbook.”
