With the Brandon Aiyuk saga with the San Francisco 49ers likely coming to an end as the two sides seem likely to part ways this offseason, the front office has to turn to the future and think of ways to replace Aiyuk, which they can thankfully do immediately in the 2026 NFL Draft.
It is not a guarantee Aiyuk will be gone, but the bombshell report in The Athletic makes it seem all but certain the two sides are headed towards a split this offseason after San Francisco voided the guaranteed money in the receiver's contract for 2026.
Apparently, it's up to Aiyuk whether he wants to come back and try to play this season, but that seems like a risk if he re-injures himself, which could complicate his ability to join a different team in the offseason.
San Francisco probably wishes it had traded Aiyuk when it had the chance, but relitigating the past is not going to help going forward.
That is why the Niners should already be looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft as they try to find a replacement for Aiyuk.
49ers thankfully have WR replacement options in 2026 NFL Draft
The 2026 draft class is flush with solid wide receivers, so San Francisco should be able to snag a receiver with some upside even if it picks fairly late in the first round.
According to one mock draft, as many as six wide receivers could go in the first round, so there should be a decent prospect waiting there for the Niners to select even if they are currently projected to have a pick in the 20-somethings.
Some potential names to keep an eye on are Makai Lemon out of USC, Carnell Tate of Ohio State, Denzel Boston of the University of Washington, and Germie Bernard out of Alabama.
All these young receivers have high upside and could be a nice replacement for Aiyuk. Remember, the Niners drafted Aiyuk late in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, so they have had some success drafting receivers at that point.
Without Aiyuk, San Francisco would enter 2026 with only a few receivers on the depth chart like Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, and Jordan Watkins. Outsude of Pearsall, who has dealt with lots of injuries in his short NFL career, that group does not inspire a ton of confidence.
That's why it'll be essential for the 49ers to add a wide receiver in next year's draft, and they could have a great opportunity to do so in the first round.