Brandon Aiyuk’s ex-49ers teammate Jon Feliciano baffled by star’s situation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Nobody seems to know what is going on with Brandon Aiyuk.
Not president of football operations/general manager John Lynch, not coach Kyle Shanahan, nor the team’s current and former players who might have or have had a relationship with the wide receiver over the years.
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Former 49ers guard Jon Feliciano joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” on Tuesday, and shared his thoughts on Aiyuk’s situation with the team after the oddly absent star had his guarantees voided earlier this season for infractions over the summer and appears to be on his way out of San Francisco this offseason after signing a four-year, $120 million contract extension last summer.
“It couldn’t be me. Getting paid all that money, I’m falling in line,” Feliciano said. “‘Yes, sir.’ ‘What do you need me to do?’ ‘Anything? Anything you want me to do?’ That’s life-changing money, that’s family-changing money.”
Feliciano, who missed the entire 2024 season with a knee injury and last played for the 49ers in 2023 — the same season Aiyuk posted career-best numbers with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns — was asked if he has spoken to any of the current 49ers players about what happened.
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“Not really. Everyone’s just like, ‘I don’t get it.’ It’s a shocking thing,” Feliciano shared. “When I was with him my first year, [he was] this selfless [player], giving up his body. This is a complete 180. Not to be there for the team, especially a team that, despite all the odds, is still going out there and playing great ball. As a competitor … I was devastated all last year, like in tears, watching the team play when I can’t play. It’s weird.”
Feliciano was impressed by the player and teammate Aiyuk was during their one season together, which makes his absence from the team this season, with everything San Francisco has gone through on the field, more baffling to him.
“My first year, B.A. was great. I remember a bunch of us would be talking on flights home, he was very much a part of the team and he was a really good dude,” Feliciano recalled. “On the football field, the things he does. Catching and all that crap is nice, but for me as an offensive lineman, the way that he blocked, the way he gave his body up for this team. I always say, Gabe Davis, [Jauan Jennings] and B.A. were the three best blocking receivers I’ve ever been around.”
“This whole situation is very shocking to me.”
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A lot of current and former teammates probably feel the same way.
It’s unclear exactly how, or when, the 49ers and Aiyuk will part ways this offseason, but his tenure with the team certainly appears to be over.
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