
It is a foregone conclusion at this point that Brandon Aiyuk has played his last game as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. The only question is if his tenure with the team ends in a release or a trade.
If general manager John Lynch gets his way, it would almost certainly be a trade so he can at least get some kind of asset back in return. He spent Saturday night after the draft practically begging the 31 other general managers in the NFL to give him a call so they could make that happen.
Aiyuk's tenure with the 49ers has been, to say the least, tumultuous. While he has been a really good and productive player at times, and a big part of their offense, there have also been contract disputes, clashes with management and more drama than any team is going to want to deal with for a good but not quite great player.
It is time for the whole thing to end. It eventually will. Lynch is doing his best to drum up interest, while also trying to sell teams on the idea that Aiyuk can still be a good player for somebody else.
49ers GM John Lynch to reporters today about their plans for Brandon Aiyuk: “We're available. Give us a call. And like I said earlier, I think it's the prudent thing to do. He’s an extremely talented player. He's been an extremely effective player in our league; situation didn't…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2026
Not really the type of thing you hear from a general manager, and he is not really hiding their intentions.
The problem is going to be finding a team willing to give up something for Aiyuk.
He signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the team in 2024 following a very messy contract dispute that resulted in him nearly being traded. He played in just seven games during the 2024 season after signing the contract due to a knee injury, and then sat out the entire 2025 season.
Is there really a booming market for a 28-year-old wide receiver with a big contract, some heavy baggage and who has played seven games in two years? There might not be. Based on Lynch's comments on Saturday, it is pretty clear there is not.
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