The 49ers’ season came to a frustrating end in the NFC Divisional round, and while there’s plenty to unpack from the loss to the Seahawks, one glaring takeaway stood out: San Francisco needs another top-tier wide receiver. And that absence was felt even more sharply with Brandon Aiyuk nowhere in sight.
Aiyuk, who’s been one of the team's most dynamic weapons in recent years, wasn’t with the team during the playoff run due to a contract dispute. Coming off a torn ACL suffered in 2024, his 2026 contract was no longer guaranteed, and the writing had been on the wall for some time. Now, it’s official.
At the team’s end-of-season press conference, 49ers GM John Lynch made it clear: Aiyuk’s time in San Francisco is over.
“I think it’s safe to say he’s played his last snap with the 49ers,” Lynch said bluntly.
That one sentence ends any lingering speculation. There’s no more wondering if the front office might try to patch things up or rework a deal. The decision has been made - the 49ers are moving on.
This isn’t entirely surprising. Once Aiyuk’s contract guarantees were removed for 2026, the odds of him returning dropped significantly. But hearing Lynch say it out loud adds weight to what had been widely assumed behind the scenes.
The next step is figuring out how the 49ers plan to part ways. A trade would always be the preferred route - get something in return for a player of Aiyuk’s caliber - but that’s easier said than done. His current contract isn’t exactly team-friendly, and that makes a trade scenario complicated, if not unlikely.
The more probable outcome? A release.
Cutting ties would free up a significant chunk of cap space and give both sides a clean break. It’s not the ending anyone envisioned when Aiyuk signed a massive $120 million extension a few years ago, but this is where things stand.
For the 49ers, this offseason now includes the challenge of replacing a player who, at his best, could stretch the field, win one-on-one matchups, and open things up for the rest of the offense. His absence was felt in the playoff loss, and unless the team makes a major move at wide receiver, it could be an issue again next season.
The Aiyuk era in San Francisco is officially over. Now, the focus shifts to what’s next - and how the 49ers plan to fill the void left behind.