Brandon Aiyuk is not going to play another regular-season snap for the San Francisco 49ers. The team has told other clubs he is available. Aiyuk has been informed. The only question now is where he lands and what San Francisco gets back.
Multiple reports out of the 49ers organization confirm what has been the industry consensus for weeks: the relationship has run its course. Aiyuk sat out most of last season with a torn ACL, was frustrated by how the team handled his rehab, and did not report to camp with anything resembling a positive attitude. The 49ers, for their part, are done trying to make it work.
The trade market for Aiyuk is complicated. He is 28, coming off a serious knee injury, and carries a cap hit of $28 million this year. He put up 1,342 yards in 2023 but has not been near that level since. Any team acquiring him is banking on a comeback season and taking on the salary.
That said, a healthy Aiyuk is a legitimate WR1. Teams looking for a proven playmaker on the outside will kick the tires. Washington and New England are the two names getting mentioned most often. The Steelers, Chargers, and Broncos have all been in exploratory conversations.
The 49ers’ asking price is a Day 2 pick, ideally a second-rounder. That may be optimistic given the health and financial questions. A third-round pick is probably closer to what actually gets done. Either way, San Francisco just wants him off the roster before the season starts.
The reasons for the split come down to what the 49ers already have. Deebo Samuel got a big extension. Ricky Pearsall is the future at the position. Jauan Jennings is a reliable third option. Christian McCaffrey is still in the offense. There is not enough football to go around, and Aiyuk was going to be the odd man out even before the injury created new complications.
Kyle Shanahan does not comment on trade situations publicly, but everyone around the building knows the score. The offense is being built around Samuel and Pearsall now. Aiyuk was going to see reduced targets even in a healthy season. Combine that with the cap hit, the rehab friction, and the personality mismatch, and the move is not just about football. It is about culture fit as well.
The player at the center of all this has stayed relatively quiet. Aiyuk has not made public demands. He has not thrown teammates under the bus. He has just made clear through his conduct that he does not want to be there anymore. That is a fair, professional way to signal a desired exit without becoming a locker room problem.
A trade should happen before the final roster cuts on August 30. The 49ers do not want to eat guaranteed money by cutting him. Aiyuk does not want to sit out and rehab in a place he no longer wants to be. Everyone benefits from a deal.
Watch the phones. This one is not going to drag much longer.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.