Brandon Aiyuk Is Waiting Out His Deal. It's Waiting Him Out.

Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers are in a standoff, and his contract is on the 49ers' side. Aiyuk has been on the reserve/left squad list since December 2025. He can't play, he isn't paid, and he's said he won't apply to come back. But under the NFL's standard player contract, a player who stops performing has his contract tolled: paused, not running out. Every season he sits, the contract waits with him. It's also why he never received the $24,935,000 option bonus due Sept. 1. The only exits are reinstatement or a trade, and the NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4pm ET. Sources: NFL Player Contract, Paragraph 16; CBS Sports (Joel Corry, July 24, 2026); AP via CBS News (Dec 13, 2025); Fox News (Jan 22, 2026); NBC Sports Bay Area (Matt Maiocco, Aug 31, 2026); Bleacher Report (Aug 31, 2026); ProFootballTalk (July 7, 2026); The Athletic via Yahoo Sports (Oct 19, 2026). More from The Fine Print: wereadthefineprint.github.io #BrandonAiyuk #49ers #NFL #TradeDeadline #TheFinePrint