Brandon Aiyuk wants to play football again, and he has hired one of the league’s best-known agents to try to make it happen. The receiver has hired Drew Rosenhaus, Adam Schefter reported on Monday, Nov. 2, and Rosenhaus said he is “working on getting him back to work and playing again in the NFL.”
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has hired Drew Rosenhaus for representation, and the agent said that he is “working on getting him back to work and playing again in the NFL.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 2, 2026
Aiyuk has not played in a game since he tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in Week 7 of the 2024 season. He has been away from the San Francisco 49ers for months, sits on the team’s reserve/left squad list, and does not count against the 90-man roster or the salary cap. The 49ers voided the remaining guarantees in his contract in 2025 over how he handled his rehab, and he spent much of the offseason criticizing the team in public and asking to be taken off the roster.
The team has been just as clear. General manager John Lynch said in January that San Francisco was moving on from Aiyuk, and the 49ers have said he will not play for them again. They explored trading him earlier this year but kept him when the offers were not what they wanted.
What has to happen first
The first step is paperwork. Aiyuk has to file for reinstatement from the reserve/left squad list, and the reports on his status agree that nothing else can move until he does. Until he submits a letter to the league, the 49ers cannot release him, and another club cannot sign him. Once he is reinstated, San Francisco could try again to trade him or would have to release him, which would let him sign anywhere.
Rosenhaus is a significant hire. His clients include Jalen Carter, Chris Olave and DJ Moore, and he replaces Ryan Williams, whom Aiyuk had fired as his agent. The 28-year-old would also be returning from more than two years away from the field, so any team interested would want medical information that has not been made public.
The calendar adds a little pressure. Trading ends for 2026 at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10, so a trade before the deadline would need Aiyuk to file quickly. Otherwise the more likely route is a release and a signing as a free agent. The 49ers themselves are 6-1 and lead the NFC in our playoff picture entering Week 9, and they host the Raiders on Sunday with no sign that they expect him back.
No filing had been reported as of Tuesday evening in Cairo, and neither Aiyuk nor the 49ers had commented beyond Rosenhaus’s statement.
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