San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch said they expected WR Brandon Aiyuk to practice Wednesday. Now, they’ll have to figure out their plan since he isn’t.
Despite Shanahan and Lynch telling reporters prior to practice that they expected Aiyuk to be with the team, local reporter Matt Maiocco reports that Aiyuk isn’t on the field with the rest of the 49ers for the start of Wednesday’s session.
Holding in throughout the summer, Aiyuk said he had back and neck injuries that prevented him from participating. In the 49ers’ eyes, that’s no longer an excuse, with Shanahan telling reporters that Aiyuk is healthy and medically cleared.
“I’ve been working on the 53, the practice squad,” Shanahan said via the team’s YouTube channel, indicating he hasn’t spent much recent time talking to Aiyuk. “I know he’s been cleared by our doctors. So I hope that he’s out there practicing today.”
In his presser with reporters, Shanahan made it clear he expected Aiyuk to practice. So did GM John Lynch.
Lynch later said, “At some point, you have to play” regarding Aiyuk.
Shanahan also noted the team kept an extra wide receiver because of Aiyuk’s murky situation. The 49ers rostered seven receivers on their initial 53 and signed former Carolina Panther WR Terrace Marshall to their practice squad.
Aiyuk’s situation seems no closer to being resolved than it was at the start of training camp. And the 49ers and Steelers aren’t any closer to a trade than it felt when rumors were red-hot in early August. If anything, things are further apart, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Steelers are in limbo, having worked out the details of a trade, and now must wait to see if the 49ers and Aiyuk can come together.
With the season starting in 1.5 weeks, the pressure is on.
As Shanahan has maintained throughout the process, he’s not ruling out any scenario. That includes having Aiyuk play out his fifth-year option with the 49ers.
“Just like I think I’ve said from the beginning, it’s reached a point where all our options could happen,” he said when asked if that was possible. “And nothing’s changed on that.”
It’s one of two contract issues the team is dealing with. OT Trent Williams is holding out while waiting for a new deal, racking up major fines each day.
When asked if Aiyuk would be punished and face fines if he didn’t practice, Shanahan declined to answer. Now, the 49ers must determine how to handle him from here. Perhaps this is a catalyst for trading him to Pittsburgh and ending this ongoing saga. But we’ve said that many times before without any movement in his case.
