Brandon Aiyuk Trade Update: Shocking 49ers Move Could Reshape NFL Offseason

SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Aiyuk’s roller-coaster tenure with the 49ers is set to end today. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reports that San Francisco will release the former first-round pick with a post-June 1 designation, eating more than $34 million in dead money spread over the next two seasons. KEY TAKEAWAYS • 49ers part ways with Aiyuk after a 2025 season lost to ACL/MCL rehab. • Washington Commanders are the front-runners to land him on a one-year “prove-it” deal once the transaction becomes official. • Aiyuk, 28, posted 1,374 receiving yards in 2023 but has not scored since before the injury in Week 8 of 2024. WHY THE 49ERS MOVED ON San Francisco signed Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million extension in 2024, but the knee injury and a subsequent communication breakdown pushed the relationship past the point of repair. Shedding his $30 million-per-year salary frees immediate cash-flow for free-agency targets while delaying most of the cap hit until 2027. WHAT AIYUK OFFERS WASHINGTON If the Commanders finalize the anticipated deal, new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury inherits a dynamic YAC threat who averaged 17.9 yards per catch in his last healthy campaign. Pairing Aiyuk with quarterback Jayden Daniels should stretch defenses and open run-pass-option packages that stalled during Washington’s injury-plagued 2025 season. RISK VS. REWARD Medical re-checks showed full ligament healing, but scouts still question Aiyuk’s top-end burst post-surgery. A one-year pact minimizes downside; a return to 1,000-plus yards could set him up for a monster 2027 payday under a rising salary cap. WHAT’S NEXT • Paperwork on the post-June 1 cut can be filed as soon as the new league year opens at 4 p.m. ET. • Washington is expected to clear space by restructuring LT Laremy Tunsil’s new $60.2 million extension, making room for Aiyuk’s incentive-laden contract. • Other receiver-needy teams (Giants, Patriots) are monitoring in case negotiations stall. BOTTOM LINE Brandon Aiyuk’s exit closes a turbulent chapter in Santa Clara and hands Washington a low-risk, high-upside weapon. If his knee holds, the Commanders could steal one of the offseason’s biggest bargains—and Aiyuk could rewrite his free-agency narrative in just 17 games.