Brandon

Aiyuk

Aiyuk has been on the outs with the team for at least a year now and was never going to return to San Francisco in 2026. Wagoner said the Commanders remain the favorite to land Aiyuk after his release, expected to be a post-June 1 designation. Aiyuk, 27, will cost the Niners around $13.3 million in dead money this year and $21.7 million in 2027. If he signs with Washington, the deal will surely be of the prove-it variety.

If the Commanders were to make such a move, though, Keim believes that “they’d still likely pursue another wideout to pair with Terry McLaurin.” Keim lists 49ers WR Jauan Jennings, Packers WR Romeo Doubs, Colts WR Alec Pierce and Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed as potential options. Commanders general manager Adam Peters is expected to be very active next week.

It is all but certain Aiyuk will not be a 49er for next season. The new league year will be coming up in March, making any kind of trade/release with the 27-year-old more doable. A release is more likely, but Lynch added, “who knows...maybe someone this week will have some interest.” Aiyuk will be a new addition to the receiver market as suitable teams like the Commanders and Steelers start making moves in free agency.

This was presumed to be the case when the 49ers put Aiyuk on the reserve/left squad list. It’s still stunning to hear about a player who signed a four-year, $120 million contract one season. San Francisco voided future guarantees in Aiyuk’s deal after he failed to meet certain contractual obligations. That should make it relatively easy for the team to release at some point in the offseason. He will be free to sign with any team, though the San Francisco fiasco will cost him an absurd amount of money in the long-run. NFL insiders have tabbed the Commanders and Steelers as potential landing spots for the mercurial wideout.

If you’re not familiar with the reserve/left squad list, that’s okay, it is something typically reserved for players about to retire. The awkward saga between Aiyuk and the 49ers appears to be ending in a messy divorce, with the recent move by the team all but ensuring the two sides split in the coming offseason. The transaction also officially ends Aiyuk’s 2025 season before it began. Stay tuned through the offseason.

The Steelers actively pursued Aiyuk last year, but, as Lombardi notes, Pickens was not on the trade block until the 2025 offseason. Aiyuk ultimately stayed in San Francisco on a new contract and the Steelers moved Pickens to Dallas ahead of the 2025 season. The move worked out terrifically for Pickens, who is putting up top-five receiving numbers with the Cowboys. Everyone else involved likely wishes they had handled things differently. Aiyuk has since had guarantees in his contract voided, meaning he and the 49ers are headed for an ugly split after the season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Steelers pursue him again next offseason.

Fowler notes that Aiyuk played with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State and that Adam Peters, a former San Francisco assistant GM, is running the show in Washington. This is in a hypothetical scenario where Aiyuk becomes a free agent — we don’t necessarily know that we’re going to end up here — but the fact that the 49ers voided his guarantees makes it a plausible idea.

Lynch wouldn’t call it realistic for Aiyuk to suit up for the Niners late in the regular season or the postseason, but said he remained hopeful the wideout would play at some point in 2025. Aiyuk, coming back from a brutal knee injury, has not had his 21-day practice window opened and is unhappy with the team after the Niners reportedly voided his 2026 contract guarantees. The Athletic reported in November that Aiyuk had likely played his final game for the 49ers. It would be shocking if Aiyuk returned in the final weeks of the season.

The goal posts continue to be moved regarding Aiyuk’s return. Unfortunately, the reportedly disgruntled wide receiver would be impossible to trust in his first game back anyway. He can be rostered in injured reserve spots, where available, but he is not guaranteed to return anytime soon, if at all.

Aiyuk is seemingly still working his way back from the ACL tear he suffered in the middle of the 2024 season. It was a multi-ligament issue that is taking much longer than expected to heal. The complicating factor here is Aiyuk’s contract. The Athletic’s Mike Silver and Dianna Russini reported earlier this week that Aiyuk failed to attend meetings and participate in other team activities, resulting in the team voiding his 2026 guarantees. Aiyuk is now expected to be released at the end of the year. Even if Aiyuk is given the medical greenlight, it’s hard to imagine him donning a 49ers jersey ever again. We are still expecting Aiyuk to sit out for the remainder of the year, but there is a small chance he returns to action at some point, even if it’s simply to prove his worth as a likely free agent next offseason.