Getty
Brandon Aiyuk has to rehab his image, according to his personal position coach TJ Houshmandzadeh.
The San Francisco 49ers are about part ways with Brandon Aiyuk, and there is a school of thought that the wide receiver is damaged goods after spending nearly a year and a half off the football field.
Yet, his longtime personal coach, and former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh begs to differ.
The longtime former Cincinnati Bengals wideout spoke candidly about Aiyuk and why teams should be interested in him ahead of the parting way with him at some point this offseason.
Aiyuk, of course, missed the entire 2025 season after injuring his knee in 2024 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Niners voided all of his guaranteed money during the 2025 season but reportedly are not in any rush to release him.
Brandon Aiyuk’s Coach: Teams Should Want the NFL Wide Receiver
Aiyuk has been the subject of trade rumors since before the 2024 season, when he held out before signing a four-year, $120 million contract. He played seven games with San Francisco that season before tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 7 at Levi’s Stadium against the Chiefs.
Still, Houshmandzadeh, who has been Aiyuk’s longtime personal wide-receiver coach, spoke about why teams should want him, despite his skipping rehab assignments to repair his knee, which effectively ended his tenure with the Niners.
“Yes they should want him, but you’ve got to be careful,” Houshmandzadeh said on the Speakeasy podcast with Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, and “Carebear” Kiera. “[Aiyuk] is really young, fast, explosive, but what he did last year is kind of crazy.
“You’ve got all this guaranteed money, and you ain’t showing up. You getting fined, and you basically forego over $30 million. If you’re a team, and you give him a good contract, is this what you’re going to get? Because this is what he’s shown us.”
T.J. Houshmandzadeh: Brandon Aiyuk Will Get Signed
Aiyuk has not earned an individual award from the NFL or NFC. But he still is less than a week shy of his 28th birthday and did have consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons, including a 1,342-yard, seven-touchdown campaign in 2023.
Plus, he had nine catches for 149 yards and a score in the playoffs while helping San Francisco reach the playoffs. So Houshmandzadeh knows his client has some rehab work to do on his public image, even though Aiyuk is going to play in the NFL again.
“He’s going to get signed,” Houshmandzadeh said. “But if you’re a team, you’ve got to structure that contract the right way. You’ve got to make sure you protect yourself because of what he’s shown you to be.”
The Niners have well-respected leadership, with coach Kyle Shanahan and president/general manager John Lynch. They may speak candidly about their experience with Aiyuk.
Still, in spite of all that, Houshmandzadeh would want Aiyuk.
“I would want him on my team, I would,” Houshmandzadeh said. “But it would have to be at the right price. I’ve got to make sure, financially we are protected, because I’ve never seen somebody do this at so young of an age, and so many years ahead of him, I’ve just never seen this.”
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
More Heavy on 49ers
Loading more stories