Update for when 49ers will make expected Brandon Aiyuk decision emerges

A Monday report teased that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk may have recently learned that the San Francisco 49ers were ready "to cut the cord" and release him "in the coming days." This would finalize a divorce that seems inevitable. 

For a piece published on Tuesday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US shared an update on the Aiyuk situation. 

When will the 49ers make the expected Brandon Aiyuk transaction?

"The San Francisco 49ers, after a protracted and personal battle with receiver Brandon Aiyuk, are finally prepared to move on from him, according to multiple league sources," La Canfora wrote. 

La Canfora added that "there is every expectation now that [Aiyuk] will be released before the start of training camp" in late July. 

Aiyuk recently generated headlines when he shared multiple videos via social media in which he ripped the 49ers and suggested they have been "scared" to release him. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted that Aiyuk has deleted those videos. 

Aiyuk hasn't played since he suffered a serious knee injury in October 2024. The 49ers voided the remaining guaranteed money attached to the four-year, $120M extension he signed in the summer of 2024 last July after he did not participate in rehab sessions related to that setback.

What team could pursue Brandon Aiyuk if he is released? 

One longtime NFL executive who spoke with La Canfora said his team does not "need that here" as it pertains to potentially signing Aiyuk. However, La Canfora also pointed out that "it’s been widely assumed that a coaching staff or front office with prior ties to Aiyuk, who has seen him at his best, would be the ones to land him." 

Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters previously worked for the 49ers and is familiar with Aiyuk. Additionally, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels and Aiyuk were teammates at Arizona State. That said, free-agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs could also be an option for Washington.

"It will not be a long list of suitors at this point," La Canfora said about Aiyuk's future. 

History shows that at least one team in need of a receiver will likely take a flier on Aiyuk this summer unless he gives such clubs reasons not to sign him over the next month or so.