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The San Francisco 49ers may be inclined to hang onto WR Brandon Aiyuk instead of cutting him
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner riled up 49ers fans on Wednesday — the first official day of NFL free agency — when he tweeted the team planned to finally cut ties with polarizing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
“With the new league year set to begin today, the #49ers plan to release WR Brandon Aiyuk,” Wagoner reported. “Could happen as soon as today, but certainly soon. Washington is the most likely landing spot for Aiyuk, probably on a one-year prove it deal.
“SF is expected to use post June 1 designation, which is why they had to wait until new league year begins.”
The 49ers-Aiyuk divorce is one that’s been months in the making. But now, Wagoner seems to be singing a different tune.
49ers Could Drag Out Aiyuk Decision
GettySan Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk may remain on the roster for a while
Most expected San Francisco to sever ties with Aiyuk ASAP given how things played out during the final weeks of the season.
The 49ers voided nearly $27 million in guaranteed money from Aiyuk’s contract heading into the 2026 season after the 27-year-old receiver failed to meet his contractual obligations regarding his injury recovery.
But now, it appears the team might hold onto him for an extended period of time in hopes of finding a willing trade partner.
“One more note on Aiyuk situation: GM John Lynch has held out hope that a trade could materialize, however unlikely that might seem,” Wagoner added. “Since trades can’t be designated as post June 1 like a release, if SF thinks there’s a chance for a deal, they could actually wait and hang on to him for a while.”
If the 49ers designate Aiyuk as a post-June 1 cut, it saves them approximately $6.3 million in cap space and incurs an $8.3 million dead-cap charge, according to Over the Cap.
The team may not be highly incentivized to trade the former All-Pro before the 2026 NFL draft, which begins on April 23, given the hype surrounding the 2027 draft. Some teams have shown a preference to acquire picks in 2027 rather than this year in other trades.
Which Teams Could Be Interested in Aiyuk?
GettyWashington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is a former college teammate of Brandon Aiyuk
Given Aiyuk’s history and close friendship with quarterback Jayden Daniels, it’s no secret the Washington Commanders are the frontrunner to add Aiyuk once he becomes available.
If the former Arizona State star ends up getting released, most believe it’s a no-brainer he ends up in Washington. But knowing that, the 49ers could use it as leverage.
If everyone knows Aiyuk would sign with the Commanders, perhaps a WR-needy team like the New England Patriots or New York Giants offer San Francisco a sixth- or seventh-round pick to acquire Aiyuk.
In turn, perhaps the 49ers make that information known and Washington offers up a fifth-round pick (which is what it offered SF last year for Deebo Samuel) to undercut any previous offers.
It certainly seems the Commanders are the team to beat, but if the right deal — or any deal, for that matter — comes along, the 49ers will certainly be inclined to trade Aiyuk than lose him for nothing, especially to another NFC team.
Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher
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