Since head coach Kyle Shanahan canceled minicamp last week, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has taken shots at the 49ers on his Instagram account about every other day.

Aiyuk deleted last week’s two most aggressive posts (opens in new tab) — in which he called the 49ers “female dogs” who were “stupid” for paying him nearly $50 million since 2024 — but continued the video parade Sunday, dancing in a robe (opens in new tab) alongside the caption “Coming to a endzone near [you]!!”

It seems that the 28-year-old 49ers wide receiver, who has posted content wearing Washington Commanders gear, actually wants to play in the NFL again. That much had been in question until this latest posting spree, because Aiyuk — who tore knee ligaments in October 2024 and hasn’t played since — has conspicuously avoided sharing content of himself training.

Two months ago, 49ers owner Jed York was in the dark on Aiyuk’s physical condition — and the front office likely isn’t privy to much more information unless Aiyuk has surprisingly reestablished contact with the team he ghosted last fall.

“Is he healthy right now? I haven’t seen him,” York said at April’s NFL owners meetings. “I have no idea.”

The uncertainty means that the 49ers’ best course of action is to hold onto Aiyuk, whose contract runs through 2028. He is not costing the team anything, because it isn’t paying him while he’s on the Left Squad list.

He also isn’t taking up a roster spot.

The 49ers could technically trade Aiyuk, but any deal would require the receiver to restructure his contract, as no team would be willing to add him to its roster under the terms of his current agreement — which puts him in line to earn $27 million in 2026. A trade would demand a level of coordination and cooperation between the 49ers, an interested team, and Aiyuk that appears unlikely to be realized.

Simply granting the wideout his wish of a release could compromise the 49ers competitively, because they play Washington — seemingly Aiyuk’s preferred destination — in Week 6. It would also subvert the team’s preferred method of managing the salary cap, because the end of Aiyuk’s tenure would automatically mean the acceleration of more than $21 million in deferred cap payments that the 49ers would rather keep amortized further into the future.

The ball remains in Aiyuk’s court, and there appears to be no logical path to a resolution until he passes it back.

Training camp can theoretically force Aiyuk’s hand. The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement dictates that he’d be fined $50,000 for each missed day of camp and $67,500 for each missed preseason game.

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Such fines can add up to roughly $1.2 million before the regular season begins. Aiyuk would likely have to pay them as an offset of his next contract, if he eventually signs elsewhere. Since the veteran minimum for Aiyuk is $1.21 million, he may have to effectively play the 2026 season for free if he doesn’t alter the status quo in time. (And remember, Aiyuk won’t be able to play at all if he is under contract with the 49ers but banished to the Left Squad list.)

The only way off of the list, per the CBA, is through a formal application to the NFL for reinstatement. That’s the path for Aiyuk to realistically threaten a return to 49ers training camp, which is scheduled to begin around July 25.

Such action would create a fascinating standoff.

Would the 49ers, adamant to avoid an in-person distraction during camp, release Aiyuk before he even has a chance to report to their facility?

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Would they let him report and thereby subject him to a physical, which — if failed — could shield the team from the risk of him stepping onto the practice field?

Or would the 49ers try to force Aiyuk to work out on a side field while they practice?

That’s what happened with Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022. In a bizarre scene (opens in new tab), the quarterback threw passes to himself while the 49ers tried to trade him. And in a stunning twist, the 49ers reworked Garoppolo’s contract and ended up starting him at QB for more than half the season before an injury opened the door for rookie Brock Purdy.

The Aiyuk situation, of course, is different.

The 49ers were on amicable terms with Garoppolo, enabling the agreement to keep a healthy player off the practice field, and he wasn’t owed any more guaranteed money while in limbo.

Aiyuk, on the other hand, would presumably want to expedite his release by demanding to practice — where an injury could back the 49ers into a financial corner. And although Aiyuk also has no guarantees remaining (the 49ers voided them last year after he failed to meet some contractual obligations), the team would owe the receiver a $24.9 million option bonus by Sept. 1 if he meets all requirements.

It will require some relatively heavy lifting from Aiyuk to even put himself in line to earn that money, though — especially because he hasn’t been willing to do more so far than post on Instagram. The hurdles are formal reinstatement, attendance at training camp (remember that Aiyuk has a warrant out for his arrest in Santa Clara County), and a passed physical.

Until Aiyuk clears those, the 49ers can maintain the status quo — which comes at no cost to them.