Despite not having Brandon Aiyuk for the entire 2025 season, the San Francisco 49ers finished with a regular-season record of 12-5 before losing in the playoffs.
There has been speculation about the wide receiver’s future with the team, and it now seems that head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that the team is seeking to trade the former first-round pick.
Kyle Shanahan Addresses Brandon Aiyuk’s Future With the 49ers
In the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the 49ers traded up from the 31st pick to the 25th pick to take Aiyuk out of Arizona State. After a productive campaign while still on his rookie contract, the team extended him to a four-year, $120 million deal.
However, during the 2024 season, Aiyuk suffered a severe injury to his knee, tearing his ACL and MCL while also damaging his meniscus. He missed the entirety of the 2025 season and was placed on the reserve/left squad list in the middle of December.
With his future in doubt, it seems like Shanahan has confirmed the receiver’s fate. During the 2026 NFL League Meetings, 49ers analyst David Lombardi reported the following:
“Kyle Shanahan says the 49ers are in no rush to part ways with Brandon Aiyuk: ‘Eventually, it will resolve itself. Hopefully, we get something for it.'”
Kyle Shanahan says the 49ers are in no rush to part ways with Brandon Aiyuk:
“Eventually, it will resolve itself. Hopefully, we get something for it.”
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) March 30, 2026
Prior to his contract extension in 2024, Aiyuk was one of the best receivers in the league during the 2023 NFL season. In PFSN’s NFL Wide Receiver Impact Metric, he ranked as the fourth-best receiver with an impact score of 92.7 and a letter grade of A-. That season, he played in 16 games, catching 75 passes on 105 targets for 1,342 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.
In 69 career regular-season games, Aiyuk has caught 294 passes for 4,305 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. In 9 playoff games, he’s caught 24 passes for 393 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
One team that has been urged to trade for him is the Washington Commanders, as he has ties to their quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who played at Arizona State with him. The move also makes sense because Terry McLaurin needs another impact wide receiver to play alongside him, especially since Aiyuk’s former teammate Deebo Samuel Sr. is a free agent.
It sounds like the end to this odd scenario for both parties is near: the 49ers move on from Aiyuk, and the wide receiver gets a new start elsewhere. There’s no doubt that Aiyuk is a talented receiver, but how will teams respond to the weird antics last season?
