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San Francisco 49ers President of Football Operations and General Manager John Lynch has provided some clarity on wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s future with the franchise.
“I think it’s safe to say he played his last game with the Niners,” Lynch said during the team’s end-of-season news conference Wednesday.
Lynch later admitted that the situation with Aiyuk had gone off the rails.
“It’s unfortunate. A situation gone wrong. And I’ll take a long look at what could have been done differently, but sometimes it just doesn’t work. And I think this is a case where that happened.”
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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrates with general manager John Lynch after the NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams on September 17, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
While Aiyuk’s inclusion in a future trade deal isn’t out of the question, Lynch suggested the 49ers would be more inclined to release the 27-year-old. Whatever the next move, it would end one of the most turbulent player-team matchups in the NFL.
Aiyuk’s contract dispute lasted until 2024 training camp. The two sides finally reached an agreement on a four-year extension in August 2024, shortly before the regular season kicked off.
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A few weeks later, Aiyuk and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan engaged in what appeared to be a heated exchange over the color of the receiver’s practice shorts. Players were reportedly asked to wear black shorts for training on September 27, while Aiyuk arrived in red shorts.
Before tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee in October 2024, Aiyuk was not as productive as he had been in previous seasons. He finished with 374 receiving yards in seven games. Aiyuk also missed several rehabilitation sessions last offseason.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) is introduced to the crowd before the game against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium on September 9, 2024. (Darren Yamashita/Imagn Images)
In July 2025, the 49ers decided to void the estimated $27 million in guarantees included in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026. In December, Shanahan said that considerable time had passed without contact from Aiyuk.
“It’s been pretty easy for me, I haven’t seen him for a month,” the coach told reporters on December 15.
On Wednesday, Shanahan gave more details about failed attempts to make contact with Aiyuk.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) catches the ball during warmups before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 10, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)
“I would say it officially stopped for me the last time I tried to reach him and couldn’t, and then I tried a few more times and still couldn’t,” he said. “And then it matched everyone else trying to reach him. And ultimately, there’s not much of an explanation because it’s really hard for us or anyone else to understand, and that’s why it’s something I’ve never seen in 22 years of coaching. It’s unfortunate and it’s confusing because it’s confusing for all of us, but it eventually becomes ‘it is what it is.'”
Aiyuk was moved to the reserve/left team roster last month. He did not appear in any regular season or playoff games in 2025.
The Niners will likely look to address their wide receiver room this offseason, given Aiyuk’s impending release and Jauan Jennings’ anticipated free agency. Ricky Pearsall remains under contract until 2026, but injuries limited him to just 10 appearances last season.
