The San Francisco 49ers will have a new look at their wide receiver room heading into the 2026 season. They drafted WR De’Zhaun Stribling from Ole Miss with their 33rd pick.
After taking a wide receiver with their first overall pick in this year’s draft, the 49ers are still trying to trade former Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Aiyuk, according to Adam Schefter.
Is This the End of the Brandon Aiyuk Saga?
The 49ers have held onto Aiyuk all offseason in hopes of trading him. The former Pro Bowler did not play a snap for the 49ers last season after tearing his ACL in 2024. His antics afterwards did not sit well with the 49ers. Late last year, the 49ers voided all of Aiyuk’s $27 million guaranteed money for the 2026 season.
Instead of releasing Brandon Aiyuk, which is what the receiver wants, the 49ers have held on to him in an attempt to trade him. The 49ers will probably take anything at this point, but signs point to this being the end of the Brandon Aiyuk saga.
How Does the San Francisco 49ers Receiver Core Look Now?
Stribling will add youth, speed, and physicality to a receiving group that was rebuilt this offseason. Stribling ran a 4.36 40-yard dash and measured at 6-foot-2-inches at the NFL Combine. He can immediately serve as a deep threat wide receiver for the 49ers.
The 49ers signed veterans Mike Evans and Christian Kirk to pair with former first-round pick Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer brings experience and proven production. Evans has spent each of his 12 seasons with Tampa Bay, where he recorded more than 1,000 receiving yards in his first 11 years in the NFL. However, the six-time Pro Bowler missed 9 games last season and failed to reach that 1,000-yard mark.
Christian Kirk is a 7-year NFL veteran who has had stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, and, most recently, with the Houston Texans before signing with the 49ers.
Pearsall has missed a significant amount of games in his first two seasons. He has only played a combined 18 games. But Pearsall brings explosiveness and has 928 career receiving yards with 13.9 yards per reception.
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