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The San Francisco 49ers have yet to cut ties with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. While the wideout has no future in the Bay Area, the Niners are in no rush to grant him his release, and one expert believes that this won’t come until the summer.
Aiyuk didn’t play in the 2025 NFL season, as the torn ACL he suffered in 2024 kept him out of the last campaign. Nonetheless, the entire relationship between Aiyuk and the 49ers deteriorated last year to the point that it’s no longer salvageable.
During training camp, the 49ers voided Aiyuk’s guaranteed money for 2026 after he failed to meet the conditions of his contract, which includes an option bonus worth $24.935 million, per ESPN. That bonus was originally guaranteed on April 1 of last year, but was later voided.
With all the drama involving Aiyuk, many would assume that San Francisco would want to end this tenure as soon as possible, but that’s yet to happen. Moreover, Spotrac’s Mike Ginnitti doesn’t see the Niners cutting ties with Aiyuk until June.
“[Aiyuk] gets released on June 2, which is terrible because the San Francisco 49ers can designate him a post-June 1 release right now,” Ginnitti said in a March 19 video from The Team 980. “That could have happened last week. They can free up this dead-cap situation in June, put him on the open market, and let him pick a team right now.
“I believe they will choose not to do that and wait until June, until after the draft, and make all the other teams make decisions without him in the fold, including draft picks. Then they will release him… I think there’s a little bit of vindictiveness happening here, but I guess I understand it if things really got that sour.”
Where Does Brandon Aiyuk Land Next?
As for where Aiyuk can land, the speculation is that the Washington Commanders are the ideal spot, as he would get to reunite with his former college teammate Jayden Daniels. Moreover, Commanders reporter for ESPN, John Keim, also believes that Aiyuk in Washington makes sense.
“One intriguing name could be San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk,” Keim wrote in his article published on March 19. “Multiple team sources said Washington is well aware of Aiyuk’s desire to play with Daniels. But Aiyuk remains under contract and the Commanders would be unlikely to trade for him or, when free, sign him to anything other than a one-year, prove-it deal.”
How Much Will Brandon Aiyuk Make After 49ers Release Him
Additionally, Ginnitti noted what type of contract Aiyuke could sign, whether it’s with the Commanders or another team, once the 49ers do release him.
“He’s still about a $13 million to $15 million player right now, which is half of what he was earning before,” Ginnitti added. “Do I think he gets that in June, you know, when everybody else has 90-man rosters full? No, I think that’s inconceivable.
“But is it a $7.5 million contract that can double with incentives? Yeah, that’s probably pretty plausible… I do think that if he’s healthy and ready to play football, he can impact the roster immediately, at least for one season.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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