San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch did not mince words on the status of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s future with the team.
‘I think it’s safe to say he’s played his last snap with the 49ers,’ Lynch told reporters in a Jan. 21 press conference, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
Aiyuk, 27, has not played in a game since October 2024, when he sustained ACL and MCL injuries in a Week 7 game.
The 2020 first-round pick was at the center of 49ers drama throughout the 2025 season. Aiyuk began the summer on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he worked his way back from the knee injury he suffered in 2024. By November, the 49ers had voided Aiyuk’s guaranteed money for 2026, with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Michael Silver reporting that the wideout had ‘failed to attend meetings and declined to participate in other team activities.’
In December, the 49ers moved Aiyuk to the reserve/left squad list. A week later, the wide receiver posted a video to his YouTube account showing himself driving faster than 90 mph through intersections near Levi’s Stadium – the 49ers’ home field in Santa Clara, California.
The speed limit in the area where Aiyuk was driving is 25 mph, according to San Jose city data.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Jan. 21 that communication with Aiyuk broke down completely at some point during the season. The receiver ‘stopped answering anyone’s phone calls, including the head coach’s,’ Barrows reported.
‘That’s something I’d never seen in 22 years of coaching,’ Shanahan said, per Barrows.
With the 49ers’ voiding of Aiyuk’s guaranteed money for 2026 and Lynch’s comments on Jan. 21, a split between the two sides appears likely.
At the start of the 2026 season, Aiyuk will be 28 years old and a season and a half removed from NFL action.
USA TODAY Sports’ Ayrton Ostly contributed to this report.