Fans and analysts alike already knew things weren't great in the relationship between wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and his employer, the San Francisco 49ers.
But, the day before the Niners' Week 15 game against the Tennessee Titans, the bombshell of a transaction -- placing Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list -- had to hit like a ton of bricks.
The seldom-used transaction typically applies to players under contract who are weighing retirement or have, quite literallly, gone AWOL.
And, in Aiyuk's case, it certainly appears as if the latter is true.
"We haven't seen him forever," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Aiyuk after San Francisco defeated the Titans.