The 49ers are surely wishing they'd traded receiver Brandon Aiyuk when they had the chance.
They could have. It was happening. Aiyuk was about to be a Steeler. Then, he expressed a willingness to accept the 49ers' best offer on a long-term deal, and coach Kyle Shanahan literally ran upstairs to keep the trade from going through.
The end result was a contract that now ties the 49ers' hands. No other team will be taking on the balance of the deal, given Aiyuk's injury.
Earlier today, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com pointed out that, once the 49ers pay Aiyuk a $22.85 million bonus due on Tuesday, "any trade talks would be off." But they were never on, given that a new team would have to pay that amount to a player who might or might not be ready to go in 2026.
There's another important wrinkle in the contract. As of Tuesday, a $24.95 million 2026 option bonus becomes fully guaranteed.
With Aiyuk still recovering from the ACL tear, and given that he wasn't exactly tearing it up before the injury, no one would take on his deal at this point.
Could the 49ers simply cut their losses and move on from Aiyuk, before the extra $24.95 million vests? Nope. Because Aiyuk currently can't pass a physical, and because the payment is already guaranteed for injury, they'd still owe him the money, even if they cut him.
So, yeah, the 49ers regret this one. Whether they'll ever admit it is a different issue. Then again, do they need to?
