The 2026 NFL Draft is over, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is still a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers have made it clear they plan to eventually move on from Aiyuk. General manager John Lynch told reporters in an end-of-season news conference it was "safe to say he's played his last snap with the 49ers" after the two parties had a falling out while the veteran wide-out was out of action due to a knee injury.
Despite this, the 49ers have been holding onto Aiyuk, hoping they can eventually find a trade partner for him. Thus far, their efforts have been unsuccessful.
OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)
CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)
RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)
WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)
1 / 42026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, tradesOT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)
OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)
CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)
RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)
WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)
Nonetheless, Lynch told reporters after the 2026 NFL Draft there was "no new update right now" about Aiyuk's future while reiterating the team's desire to trade him.
"We're available. Give us a call," Lynch said. "And like I said earlier, I think it's the prudent thing to do. He’s an extremely talented player. He's been an extremely effective player in our league; situation didn't work itself out here. That's not to say that it can't be rekindled somewhere else. And we'd be happy to do something with anyone if the opportunity presented itself."
Lynch was also asked whether the 49ers would consider releasing Aiyuk as they remain unable to find a trade partner.
49ERS DEPTH CHART: How team projects with 2026 NFL Draft in the books
If the 49ers do eventually release Aiyuk, it will likely be with a post-June 1 designation. Doing so would allow the team to spread his dead-cap hit – which is salary cap space allocated to a player no longer on the roster – of nearly $33.6 million over two seasons.
However, San Francisco doesn't have to wait until after June 1 to make such a maneuver. NFL teams are allowed to designate up to two players as post-June 1 releases at any point after the start of the new league year, and the 49ers haven't yet utilized that designation in 2026.
So, all that's stopping the 49ers from releasing Aiyuk is their desire to acquire something from him via trade.
Will that happen? That remains unclear. The Washington Commanders have "significant interest" in the 28-year-old receiver, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, but they have thus far been content to wait for the 49ers to release him.