Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has turned in paperwork to be reinstated, agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Aiyuk, who is on the San Francisco 49ers' reserve/did not report list, plans to report to the 49ers' training facility Friday afternoon, Rosenhaus said.
"Brandon is healthy and ready to get back on the field," Rosenhaus said.
Applying for reinstatement is the first step Aiyuk needs to take to get back onto the playing field. The Niners will then need to decide what to do with his rights.
"I have no expectation," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday when asked for his reaction to the news. "Kind of moved on with that mentally and everything, and kind of how I talked to you guys two months ago, nothing's really changed for me."
He said he didn't expect a resolution before Friday.
"I wouldn't think so. I think he'd have to show up for stuff to happen," he said.
Niners general manager John Lynch, speaking to KNBR radio in San Francisco on Thursday, called the Aiyuk situation "fluid" and noted that the team is working with the NFL's Management Council to work toward a resolution that works for all parties.
"This is kind of a unique situation," Lynch told KNBR. "There's really no playbook."
Aiyuk has not played in an NFL game since Oct. 20, 2024, against the Kansas City Chiefs, when he tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee.
For most of the time since, Aiyuk and the Niners have been at odds. The team placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list in December after Aiyuk stopped showing up at the team facility. That came on the heels of the Niners voiding roughly $27 million in guaranteed money on Aiyuk's contract in July 2025 because he did not do the requisite rehab sessions and check-ins with the team during that offseason.
When Aiyuk did not report for training camp this July, he reverted to the reserve/did not report list.
San Francisco has tried unsuccessfully to trade Aiyuk in the past, but if he's reinstated, the more likely outcome will be the team releasing him. Lynch and Shanahan have repeatedly said that Aiyuk has played his last snap in San Francisco, though both seemed to leave the door open just a crack when asked about it this week.
When asked if he'd be open to all options, including hearing out Rosenhaus and Aiyuk about a potential reunion, Lynch said "everything is possible," striking a similar tone to what Shanahan said when asked nearly the same question on Wednesday.
Asked Wednesday if there was still a chance Aiyuk could play for the 49ers ever again, Shanahan said, "There's no absolutes in life."
Lynch pointed to the Niners' positive working relationship with Rosenhaus as something that could help the situation resolve.
"Drew is a good guy to deal with," Lynch said. "He's reasonable. He's got integrity. We'll see how this thing goes."
Lynch then hinted that some sort of resolution is expected soon, telling KNBR that "I think we'll have a lot more I can share with you in the coming weeks."
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Most recently, despite myriad injuries at receiver, when Shanahan was asked if he would reconsider a reunion with Aiyuk in September, he had said simply, "No."
Over the summer, Aiyuk took to social media multiple times to voice his displeasure with the Niners and attempted to goad them into releasing him while also saying he wouldn't "do business" with the team at all. On multiple occasions, Aiyuk also implied or openly suggested that he wanted to join the Washington Commanders to play with quarterback Jayden Daniels, with whom he had formed a friendship in their time together at Arizona State.
It's unclear whether landing in Washington is even an option still with the Commanders having signed veteran Stefon Diggs and rostering other wideouts they're hoping to develop.
As it stands, Aiyuk's status on the reserve/did not report list means the Niners are not paying him and he does not count against their roster. The Niners selected Aiyuk, 28, with the 25th pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Before his knee injury, Aiyuk had emerged as one of the NFL's most productive wideouts. He had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns on his way to second-team All-Pro honors in 2023.
