Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Brandon Aiyuk’s run with the San Francisco 49ers looks to be winding down as the offseason unfolds. After sitting out the 2025 NFL season, the wide receiveris widely viewed as a candidate to resume the career elsewhere.
That leaves San Francisco with a decision to make, and the timing matters.ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported on Jan. 21 that Aiyuk’s future guarantees havebeen voided. Even with that development, cutting Aiyuk this offseason would saddle the 49ers with nearly $30 million in dead money against the salary cap.
There is another option. If the 49ers wait until after June 1, the dead cap hit wouldbe split into $13.325 million in 2026 and $21.247 million in 2027. Those same numbers would apply in a trade, though any deal would have to come after Aiyuk remains on the roster into the summer, since trades cannot carry a post-June 1 designation.
Amid the looming breakup between Aiyuk and the Niners, CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt floated the idea of the Washington Commanders being a spot where the wideout can get his career back on track and reunite with his former college teammate, Jayden Daniels.
“Brandon Aiyuk has been trying to get to Washington for a long time because of his close friendship with former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels. Pairing Aiyuk with Daniels would give the quarterback another proven threat in the passing game,”Hunt said during a Feb. 12 appearance on CBS Sports HQ.
“Looking back at the season Daniels had at LSU, it is easy to point to the weapons around him, including Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. The idea would be to recreate that formula with another vertical playmaker in Aiyuk, who has made it clear there is no desire to remain in San Francisco.”
49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk Gets Blunt Words From Michael Irvin
While it’s clear that Aiyuk will continue his NFL career elsewhere, formerDallas Cowboys wideout Michael Irvin didn’t hold back on the 49ers wide receiver for how he handled the situation.
“Brandon Aiyuk and all of these guys — I’m like, ‘Why are you trying to get out of here?’ Like, what kind of dummy are you? Why would you try to leave? I don’t understand that,”Irvin said during a Feb. 5 appearance on 95.7 The Game.
“When I used to talk to Deebo [Samuel] in the first time around when they were having issues, I was like, ‘Deebo, don’t leave Kyle.’ Why would you want to leave him? I don’t know, man. I would stay with Kyle as long as I can stay with Kyle, because he’s just phenomenal.”
Does Brandon Aiyuk Want to Still Play Football?
The future of Aiyuk remains uncertain as to where he lands and continues his career, but it will be interesting to see which team decides to take a chance on him. Even so,On SI’s 49ers beat reporter Grant Cohn has raised doubts about whether Aiyuk truly wants to keep playing football at this point.
“People keep saying Brandon Aiyuk quit on the 49ers this year, and he did,”Cohn said in a video published on Jan. 23 on his YouTube channel. “But doesn’t it seem like he also quit football entirely forever? I mean, isn’t he moving like a guy who doesn’t really expect to play another snap in his career?
“Is he trying to endear himself to other teams when he posts videos speeding past Levi’s Stadium? Who would want him at this point after everything that’s transpired?”