49ers to part ways with Brandon Aiyuk after injury and contract turmoil, GM says
San Francisco 49ers president of football operations and general manager John Lynch offered clarity about wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's future with the franchise.
"I think it's safe to say that he's played his last snap with the Niners," Lynch said at the team's end-of-season news conference Wednesday.
Lynch went on to acknowledge that the situation with Aiyuk had gone off course.
"It's unfortunate. A situation that just went awry. And I will look long and hard at what could have been done differently, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. And I think that this was a case where that happened."
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While including Aiyuk in a future trade package is not off the table, Lynch suggested the 49ers would be more inclined to release the 27-year-old wideout. Whichever move comes next would end one of the NFL’s most turbulent player-team standoffs.
Aiyuk’s contract dispute lasted through the 2024 training camp. The two sides eventually reached an agreement on a four-year extension in August 2024, shortly before the regular season kicked off.
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Just a few weeks later, Aiyuk and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan engaged in what appeared to be an animated exchange over the color of the receiver’s practice shorts. Players were reportedly instructed to wear black shorts for a Sept. 27 practice, and Aiyuk arrived in red shorts.
Before tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee in October 2024, Aiyuk was not nearly as productive as he had been in past seasons. He finished with 374 receiving yards over seven games. Aiyuk also missed multiple rehab sessions last offseason.
In July 2025, the 49ers decided to void an estimated $27 million in guarantees included in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026. In December, Shanahan said a considerable amount of time had passed without contact from Aiyuk.
"It’s been pretty simple for me. I haven’t seen him in a month," the coach told reporters Dec. 15.
On Wednesday, Shanahan offered more details about the unsuccessful attempts to get in touch with Aiyuk.
"I'd say it officially stopped for me when the last time I tried to get ahold of him and couldn't and then tried a couple more times and still couldn't," he said. "And then that matched everyone else that was trying to get ahold of him to come in. And, eventually, there's not much of an explanation because it's really hard for us and anyone else to understand. And that's why it's something I've never seen in 22 years of coaching. It's unfortunate, and it's confusing because it's confusing for all of us. But it eventually becomes 'it is what it is.'"
Aiyuk was moved to the reserve/left team list last month. He did not appear in any 2025 regular-season or playoff games.
The Niners will likely look to address their wide receiver room this offseason, considering Aiyuk’s pending exit and Jauan Jennings’ scheduled free agency. Ricky Pearsall remains under contract through 2026, but injuries limited him to just 10 appearances last season.
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