49ers GM Lynch focused on 'players that are here,' not WR Aiyuk - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — While the San Francisco 49ers haven't officially cut ties with estranged wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, they're opening this year's training camp as though they have already moved on.

Speaking to Bay Area media on Saturday, Niners general manager John Lynch had no appetite to field questions about Aiyuk but did clarify where Aiyuk stands in relation to the franchise.

«Brandon is on a left squad designation,» Lynch said. «As such, he's not on our 90-man roster. And I'm personally and we as an organization are going to focus on the players that are here. And so, I don't have anything to say on that, anything to add to that. We wish him well. We wish his family well.»

Aiyuk landed on the reserve/left team list last December after he stopped going to the team's training facility for rehab and cut off communication with the team. At the end of last season, Lynch said Aiyuk had played his final snaps with the 49ers, though the team held on to Aiyuk in hopes of trading him this offseason. No such deals have come close to materializing.

Because Aiyuk has the «left team» designation, he must apply to the NFL for reinstatement to the league before any further transactions could take place.

If Aiyuk makes such a request and the league grants it, Aiyuk could then force the Niners to release him by reporting for training camp because he would then count on the 90-man roster and against the salary cap.

To this point, Aiyuk has declined to take those steps. In a series of social medias posts aimed at the 49ers over the past month or so, Aiyuk has said he will «never be stepping in that building» again unless it's on Oct. 19, which is when the Niners host the Washington Commanders at Levi's Stadium.

Aiyuk has left