49ers to part ways with Brandon Aiyuk after injury and contract turmoil, GM says

San Francisco 49ers president of shot operations and wide manager John Lynch offered clarity astir wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's aboriginal with the franchise.

"I deliberation it's harmless to accidental that he's played his past drawback with the Niners," Lynch said astatine the team's end-of-season quality league connected Wednesday. 

Lynch went connected to admit that the concern with Aiyuk had gone disconnected course.

"It's unfortunate. A concern that conscionable went awry. And I volition look agelong and hard astatine what could person been done differently, but sometimes it conscionable doesn't enactment out. And I deliberation that this was a lawsuit wherever that happened." 

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrates with wide manager John Lynch aft the NFL crippled betwixt the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams connected Sept. 17, 2023, astatine SoFi Stadium successful Inglewood, California. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While including Aiyuk successful a aboriginal commercialized bundle is not disconnected the table, Lynch suggested the 49ers would beryllium much inclined to merchandise the 27-year-old wideout. Whichever determination comes adjacent would extremity 1 of the NFL’s astir turbulent player-team standoffs.

Aiyuk’s declaration quality lasted done the 2024 grooming camp. The 2 sides yet reached an statement connected a four-year hold successful August 2024, soon earlier the regular play kicked off.

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Just a fewer weeks later, Aiyuk and 49ers manager Kyle Shanahan engaged successful what appeared to beryllium an animated speech implicit the colour of the receiver’s signifier shorts. Players were reportedly instructed to deterioration achromatic shorts for the Sept. 27 practice, portion Aiyuk arrived successful reddish shorts.

Before tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus successful his close genu successful October 2024, Aiyuk was not astir arsenic productive arsenic helium had been successful past seasons. He finished with 374 receiving yards implicit 7 games. Aiyuk besides missed aggregate rehab sessions past offseason.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) is introduced to the assemblage earlier the crippled against the New York Jets astatine Levi's Stadium connected Sept. 9, 2024. (Darren Yamashita/Imagn Images)

In July 2025, the 49ers decided to void an estimated $27 cardinal successful guarantees included successful Aiyuk’s declaration for 2026. In December, Shanahan said a sizeable magnitude of clip had passed without interaction from Aiyuk. 

"It’s been beauteous elemental for me, I haven’t seen him successful a month," the manager told reporters connected Dec. 15.

On Wednesday, Shanahan offered much details astir the unsuccessful attempts to get successful interaction with Aiyuk.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) catches the shot during warmups earlier the crippled against the Seattle Seahawks astatine Lumen Field connected Oct. 10, 2024 successful Seattle, Washington. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)

"I'd accidental it officially stopped for maine erstwhile the past clip I tried to get ahold of him and couldn't and past tried a mates much times and inactive couldn't," helium said. "And past that matched everyone other that was trying to get ahold of him to travel in. And yet there's not overmuch of an mentation due to the fact that it's truly hard for america and anyone other to understand, and that's wherefore it's thing I've ne'er seen successful 22 years of coaching. It's unfortunate and it's confusing due to the fact that it's confusing for each of us, but it yet becomes 'it is what it is.'"

Aiyuk was moved to the reserve/left squad database past month. He did not look successful immoderate 2025 regular-season oregon playoff games.

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The Niners volition apt look to code their wide receiver country this offseason, considering Aiyuk’s pending exit and Jauan Jennings’ scheduled escaped agency. Ricky Pearsall remains nether declaration done 2026, but injuries constricted him to conscionable 10 appearances past season.

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