SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk careen toward a crossroads on their future together, plenty of important questions remain unanswered.

On Saturday afternoon, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the team voided about $27 million in 2026 guarantees on Aiyuk’s contract in late July and then spent most of his news conference fielding many of those leftover queries about Aiyuk’s status. In the ensuing 11 minutes and 54 seconds, Shanahan alternated between offering insight and declining to provide specifics.

One thing is for certain: Shanahan isn’t used to such an uncommon scenario.

“I’ve been coaching over 20 years, and I’ve never been in a situation where a contract’s been voided,” Shanahan said. “It’s extremely unusual to me.”

The top question of the day was what exactly Aiyuk did (or didn’t do) for such a drastic contract measure to be taken. Shanahan was asked repeatedly and offered hints, acknowledging that Aiyuk missed some meetings and team activities but also pointed out that players with significant injuries, such as Aiyuk’s right knee injury, don’t always take part in all those things anyway.

Aiyuk was in the team facility doing rehab as recently as Friday, according to Shanahan.

Sources said that Aiyuk’s voided guarantees were a result of him not living up to the terms of his contract, which could include questions about his participation in required rehab and team activities, though Shanahan indicated there was more to it without offering further details.

“It takes a lot of things to get a contract voided,” Shanahan said. “I’ve never dealt with that in my career and been in any building that’s had that. It was unusual. But that’s stuff that I can’t get into right now.”

As for where things stand between the team and Aiyuk, Shanahan said the Niners have not medically cleared him to return. Asked whether Aiyuk and the Niners are on the same page when it comes to his efforts to return, Shanahan demurred.

“I can’t tell you that,” Shanahan said. “I am not getting much dialogue just personally between him and I, and I’ve been told that it’s week to week, so each week I wait to see if he’s ready to come back for practice and I haven’t got that answer yet.”

Still, Shanahan said he and the 49ers are hoping Aiyuk will return to play this season. For now, Aiyuk is on the physically unable to perform list but is eligible to open his 21-day practice window at any point.

On Saturday, fellow receivers Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall said they’ve been in contact with Aiyuk, though both said they don’t really discuss the business side of things with him.

“I think he’s doing fine,” Pearsall said. “It’s hard because he’s a quiet guy, he’s to himself, but as much as I can reach out to him and show love his way because he’s done that throughout my journey. I’m just trying to pay my dues back to him and I think he’s doing good.”

Given the uncertainty that comes with having guaranteed money voided, it’s fair to wonder if Aiyuk might have already played his final game as a Niner.

If the 49ers move on from Aiyuk in the offseason, the voiding of 2026 guarantees means they will realize more cap savings than they would have otherwise, though there will still be a lot of dead money from accelerated prorated signing (2024) and option (2025) bonuses.

An outright release with no post June 1 designation means the Niners would incur a dead cap charge of $29.585 million. Beyond next season, Aiyuk is scheduled to receive base salaries of $27.274 million in 2027 and $29.15 million in 2028.

Shanahan said Saturday he is not thinking about parting ways with Aiyuk.

“What happened in July doesn’t have anything to do with the future,” Shanahan said. “That had to do with circumstances that, to me, were out of a coach’s hand. … When it comes to the future of this, I would love for BA to be here. I would love for him to get healthy and get back to really helping us out and being part of his team. We haven’t had that in a little bit, and I still hold out hope that he can get there, but he obviously hasn’t gotten there yet.”

Aiyuk signed his four-year, $120 million extension on Aug. 29, 2024, after an often contentious standoff. Through the process, the Niners had trades that would send Aiyuk to the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed upon. In each case, Aiyuk vetoed the situation so he could ultimately stay in San Francisco.

If Aiyuk doesn’t play another game for the Niners, he will have been paid $48 million to appear in seven games after signing the extension. In those contests, he had 25 receptions for 374 yards and no touchdowns.

At this year’s training camp, there had been optimism that Aiyuk was coming around. At one point, Shanahan and receivers coach Leonard Hankerson praised him for his participation in meetings. Since, Aiyuk’s presence has become increasingly scarce. Aiyuk has also not been around at the portions of practice open to media and has not been in the locker room during media sessions

Asked Saturday what changed in that time, Shanahan said, “You’d have to ask him.” Shanahan was then asked if he believes Aiyuk is motivated to return to the field this season.

“I don’t think that really matters,” Shanahan said. “I think everyone might have a different opinion of that. … I was told a few weeks ago he was getting closer and we haven’t made progress in that way so far. From my standpoint, I’m just waiting for him to get back to practice.”

Six days after Texas A&M announced a contract extension for football coach Mike Elko, the Aggies announce they’ve extended athletic director Trev Alberts for six years, matching Elko’s term.

“As we navigate the changing college athletics landscape, Trev Alberts’ professionalism, knowledge and business-minded approach is just what we need to compete boldly in the future,” said Tommy Williams, Texas A&M’s interim president.

Alberts, who was a first-round NFL draft pick and an ESPN broadcaster, was hired by Texas A&M in 2024 after serving as AD at Nebraska, his alma mater, since 2021.

In February, Alberts led negotiations with Playfly Sports, securing a 15-year, $515 million fully guaranteed contract for multimedia rights, the largest of its kind in collegiate athletics history; the deal also included NIL strategy for A&M athletes.

Elko’s extension was announced Saturday, when the No. 3 Aggies stormed back to score 27 second-half points to beat South Carolina 31-30 — the biggest comeback in school history — to move to 10-0. Although Elko arrived just before Alberts’ hire, he said he appreciates the continuity the extension brings.

“We’re building something special here at Texas A&M, and my partnership with Trev is an integral part of that,” Elko said. “I’ve truly appreciated his leadership, especially the open dialogue he maintains with his coaches to gather feedback and elevate Texas A&M as one of the nation’s premier brands.”