The San Francisco 49ers could be parting ways with their star receiver, after all.
Whispers, rumblings, and rumors have surrounded Brandon Aiyuk all summer long as the football universe has speculated on his next team.
In many instances, the 49ers quelled the hype machine by indicating that Aiyuk would likely be remaining with San Francisco in 2024.
Now, such a promise might be off the table.
49ers superstar running back Christian McCaffrey referred to Aiyuk as a "former teammate" in an interview on Tuesday from within San Francisco's training camp.
McCaffrey is currently resting a strained calf that will reportedly keep him out of preseason action, as well as a couple of weeks of camp.
Whether McCaffrey's mentioning of Aiyuk as a former teammate was a Freudian slip or something else, the remark is sure to raise eyebrows throughout the National Football League.
The Aiyuk situation has been going on for months at this point, and it's arguably beginning to enter distraction territory for the 49ers franchise as it prepares for what San Francisco hopes will be a Super Bowl season.
Aiyuk has been linked to both the Steelers and Patriots in recent days, just as often as rumors of both teams' connection to Aiyuk have been denied.
How exactly will the Aiyuk drama end? It's still unclear, but McCaffrey may have just dropped the biggest hint yet.
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