San Francisco 49ers to Part Ways with Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk
The San Francisco 49ers have confirmed that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will not be returning to the team. General Manager John Lynch made the announcement during the team’s end-of-season news conference, stating that Aiyuk has played his last snap with the Niners. The decision comes after a tumultuous period between the team and the player, which began with a contract stalemate in the summer of 2024.
Aiyuk and the 49ers had agreed on a four-year, $120 million extension with $76 million in guarantees on August 29, 2024. However, the relationship between the team and the player continued to deteriorate, with Aiyuk struggling on the field and eventually suffering a season-ending injury. The 49ers had hoped to trade Aiyuk last offseason, but the injury made it difficult to find a suitable trade partner.
Aiyuk’s Contract and Injury
Aiyuk’s $24.935 million roster bonus for 2026 became guaranteed on April 1, 2025, but problems arose when he skipped multiple rehab sessions in the offseason. The 49ers voided the roughly $27 million in guarantees Aiyuk’s contract contained for 2026, and Coach Kyle Shanahan stated that he had never seen a situation like this in his over 20 years of coaching. Aiyuk eventually stopped showing up to team activities and cut off communications with the team.
The 49ers placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left team list on December 13, which ensured that he would not play at all in 2025. The team must now decide when to move on from Aiyuk and the best way to do it, with options including releasing him or designating him a post-June 1 release to split the dead money on the salary cap.
Impact on the 49ers
According to Lynch, moving on from Aiyuk will allow the 49ers more cap flexibility moving forward, especially with wideout Jauan Jennings scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall having been limited to 10 games in 2025 due to injuries. The team will take on nearly $30 million in dead money on the salary cap if they release Aiyuk in the offseason, but designating him a post-June 1 release could split that amount into $13.325 million in dead money in 2026 and $21.247 million in 2027.
As for why Aiyuk stopped communicating with the Niners, Lynch stated that he wishes he knew, but the team has been unable to understand the situation. Coach Shanahan added that the team tried to fix the issue, but eventually, they had to move on with their football team. The 49ers will now focus on rebuilding their roster and preparing for the upcoming season.
