Kyle Shanahan spoke to the uncertainty surrounding the Brandon Aiyuk situation when he was asked about the San Francisco 49ers allowing the receiver to speak with potential trade partners.

The 49ers head coach said "there's a scenario for anything" when asked if there was a scenario for Aiyuk staying with San Francisco and signing a long-term deal.

However, reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey might have unintentionally given the game away as to how the saga will come to an end.

Asked about Aiyuk while speaking on NFL Network, McCaffrey had a slip of the tongue, accidentally referring to the 2020 first-round pick as a "former teammate".

? Christian McCaffrey refers to Brandon Aiyuk as a “former teammate”

h/t @StatsOnFire #49ers pic.twitter.com/RUtiFjt6aU

— Kevin Krueger (@kevinkruegs) August 6, 2024

McCaffrey, who is set to miss the entirety of preseason with a calf strain, caught himself and attempted to correct the error, but didn't do so convincingly.

It was likely just an innocent mistake from McCaffrey, but it came at a very inopportune time and will only serve to increase talk that Aiyuk is set to depart the 49ers.

Maybe McCaffrey and the players know details that have not been made available to the media at present, or maybe his Freudian slip was just a reflection of how he and the locker room expect things to turn out.

The most reasonable explanation is that it was just an honest mistake that means nothing. However, given the way in which Aiyuk's handshakes with Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch attracted scrutiny last week, expect McCaffrey's slight speaking error to receive plenty of attention.

Exploring the packages that could lead the 49ers to accept a trade offer for All-Pro Brandon Aiyuk

It would take a lot to sway them.