49ers GM John Lynch doesn’t rule out Brandon Aiyuk reunion: ‘Everything’s possible’
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) runs onto the field during starting lineup announcements for their NFL season opener against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 09, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle)
A day after head coach Kyle Shanahan responded rather cryptically to a question seeking confirmation on whether Brandon Aiyuk‘s San Francisco 49ers career is over, general manager John Lynch took a similar approach.
Lynch, asked Thursday morning on KNBR if all options are on the table, including a possible reunion: "Um, yeah, of course. I think everything’s possible."
This comes after Shanahan said Wednesday: "There’s no absolutes in life."
Aiyuk plans to report to the 49ers’ Santa Clara facility Friday afternoon, according to ESPN, and has filed the paperwork for reinstatement. The 28-year-old wide receiver stopped showing up to the team facility late last season, and nobody in the organization has seen him since.
Lynch tiptoed around his words much more than he had in previous public comments about Aiyuk, such as on Jan. 21, when he plainly stated: "I think it’s safe to say that he’s played his last snap with the Niners."
So why are Lynch and Shanahan, San Francisco’s top two decision-makers, declining to confirm a simple fact after previously making it clear that Aiyuk’s 49ers career was over?
One possible explanation: They’re not allowed to.
On Thursday, Lynch said the situation is "fluid" because the 49ers are working with the NFL management council, which is essentially the league’s internal law firm, to find a resolution. He left it at that, he said, because he’s been "recommended to do so, and I think it’s the right thing to do.
"We’ll look for a pathway for both sides here that works."
As with any ongoing legal matter, teams typically decline to get into specifics until a resolution is found. Lynch indicated this mess of a situation won’t hang around much longer, telling KNBR: "How about this for a deal? Next week, we can talk a little more in detail about the process."
The 49ers’ options, assuming Aiyuk reports to the facility Friday and passes through all the necessary hoops for reinstatement, are to release him, trade him or place him on the active roster.
The third option appears to be the least likely. Shanahan, for one, does not sound keen on an Aiyuk reunion. He said Wednesday that he’s "kind of moved on with that mentally and everything. (It’s) kind of how I talked to you guys two months ago. Nothing’s really changed for me."
His "two months ago" comment was in reference to a one-word response he offered up when asked in September about the possibility of an Aiyuk reunion: "No."
Niners players were similarly short with their words Wednesday. Running back Christian McCaffrey said he’s focused on doing his job. Linebacker Fred Warner said he’ll "let that work itself out." Defensive end Nick Bosa said it’s not his place to comment, but that there are "no hard feelings" between him and Aiyuk.
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This article originally published at 49ers GM John Lynch doesn’t rule out Brandon Aiyuk reunion: ‘Everything’s possible’.
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.