In August 2024, Brandon Aiyuk signed a contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers in a four-year, $120 million deal through the 2028 season. But since 2025, things between Aiyuk and the 49ers have been tumultuous, with the 28-year-old WR publicly lashing out at his team and calling for a release. It’s been months, and the situation remains the same, prompting former NFL player LeSean McCoy to believe that San Francisco is trapping its WR.

“If he is a distraction like y’all saying he is,” McCoy said on the Speakeasy Podcast. “And y’all don’t want him for all these different reasons, and he’s doing all this stuff that y’all don’t like and he’s making the organization look bad, etc. and this and that and the third, the narrative that you guys are saying, cool. Why you holding him hostage? Because I feel like any other coach that doesn’t like a player, doesn’t like what he represents, either they trade him, or they cut him. And y’all not trying to do neither of that.”

Since Brandon Aiyuk’s contract with the San Francisco 49ers runs through the 2028 season, he cannot move to a new team without the 49ers’ permission or a formal release. This also implies that the 28-year-old WR is at his franchise’s control.

The rift started in November 2025 when San Francisco voided Aiyuk’s contract guarantees for skipping mandatory team meetings and rehab check-ins. For an injured Aiyuk, the decision to dismiss his mandatory financial payouts fumed him.

With Aiyuk completely unreachable, the 49ers officially placed him on the Reserve/Left Squad list. This pauses his pay but allows the team to retain his exclusive contractual rights. Recently, 49ers general manager John Lynch reiterated their stance regarding Aiyuk’s position on the team.

“Brandon is on a left-squad designation,” Lynch said on Saturday. “As such, he’s not on our 90-man roster… We wish him well. We wish his family well.”

Whether or not the team intends to keep Brandon Aiyuk “hostage,” two-time Super Bowl winner LeSean McCoy somewhat believes that is the current situation of the 28-year-old WR.