Aiyuk Remains 49ers' Most Awkward Loose End
General manager John Lynch has been publicly inviting offers on Aiyuk since his post-draft press conference back in the spring, at one point literally holding up his phone and telling reporters, "We're available. Give us a call."
Nobody has called with an offer San Francisco found worth accepting. Aiyuk hasn't played a game since tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus in October 2024, just months after signing a four-year, $120 million extension that made him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league.
The #49ers WR room has been going through it:
— Sleeper49ers (@SleeperSF49ers) September 16, 2026
- Ricky Pearsall (Season Ending Surgery)
- De’Zhaun Stribling (IR)
- Brandon Aiyuk (Hates Team)
Still got 17 more weeks to go 🙃
The 49ers voided a significant chunk of his guaranteed money last November over his unwillingness to rehab with the team, and the relationship has been publicly strained ever since, through a very public and often bizarre push from Aiyuk to be traded specifically to Washington.
Multiple teams have circled at various points, including the Commanders and, more speculatively, the Steelers and Titans, but no trade partner has ever emerged, largely because rival executives have questioned whether he's even fully healthy after sitting out the entire 2025 season.
Week 1 Injuries Could Reopen The Market
San Francisco's own rookie receiver, De'Zhaun Stribling, suffered an ankle injury in the season opener and is expected to miss at least a month, and they also lost tight end Jake Tonges for the season, but the bigger story is what happened around the rest of the league.
A.J. Brown, Ja'Kobi Lane, Nico Collins, and Ladd McConkey were among several notable receivers who also went down with injuries in Week 1, instantly creating a wave of teams that could use exactly the kind of talent Aiyuk still represents on paper.
He's only 28, and the last time he was fully healthy, in 2023, he cleared 1,300 receiving yards for San Francisco. His salary for this season is a relatively modest $1.215 million, making him a low financial risk compared to the price tag that scared teams off earlier in the offseason.
The 49ers, for what it's worth, look like a legitimate contender early on after handling the Rams comfortably in their opener, and moving a disgruntled, unused asset for anything of value would only add to that momentum rather than distract from it.
