The San Francisco 49ers are remaining firm with their stance in wanting to trade Brandon Aiyuk rather than outright releasing him. Aiyuk is seen as a potential fit for the Washington Commanders, given his history with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State.
Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports shared his prediction on the Aiyuk situation now that the 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone. Moreover, DeArdo sees the Commanders as the best fit for the wideout to continue his career.
“Aiyuk has played his final down in San Francisco, and the 49ers will officially part ways with him this offseason,” DeArdo wrote in his April 26 article. “The questions continue to be how the breakup will materialize and where Aiyuk ends up next…
“The Commanders know that the 49ers don’t have much leverage and are likely waiting for San Francisco to release him. The 49ers surely know Washington wants Aiyuk to pair with his former college teammate Jayden Daniels.”
49ers Continue to Look Out for Brandon Aiyuk Trade
Despite Aiyuk’s time with the Niners being over, the 49ers aren’t handing him over to any team. The team’s general manager, John Lynch, made clear the team has no intention of doing Aiyuk any favors and is holding out for a trade.
“No new update right now,” Lynch said on April 25 (h/t Pro Football Talk). “We’re available. Give us a call.”
Aiyuk hasn’t appeared in a game since Oct. 20, 2024, when he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee. After the injury, his relationship with the team deteriorated, and by November, the 49ers had voided his guaranteed money, citing his refusal to rehab at the team facility.
“He’s an extremely talented player,” Lynch add. “He’s been an extremely effective player in our league. The 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.”
Niners Explain Dee Winters Trade to Cowboys
While Aiyuk didn’t get traded at the draft, San Francisco was busy making trades, and one player that they did part ways with is Dee Winters. The Niners sent the linebacker to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Lynch spoke to the media after Day 2 of the draft and explained why the team decided to part ways with Winters and send him to Dallas.
“We made that trade, and that’s tough because Dee is a guy who’s done a lot for us here,” Lynch told reporters on April 24 (h/t 95.7 The Game). “Sixth-round pick out of TCU, but he is one of the favorite guys in that locker room among his teammates.
“He’s done a lot for us on the field. We just felt like we were in good position at linebacker, and Dallas has been really interested in him for a long time.”
Lynch also explained the timeline of events that led to the ball getting rolling between the 49ers and Cowboys, eventually culminating in a trade on Day 2 of the draft.
“I’d say that the talks probably started with myself and Stephen Jones when we were talking about Osa [Odighizuwa],” Lynched added. “They’ve stayed on that. We kind of held it off for a while, and as we got there today, we just felt like it was the right thing to do for our team.
“It’s a good opportunity for Dee. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for him to shine, and we are very grateful for Dee’s time here and all his contributions he made to our squad.”
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