Brandon Aiyuk’s days with the San Francisco 49ers already felt numbered, but President of Football Operations John Lynch erased any doubt regarding that notion at a press conference on Wednesday.
“The plan in terms of the transaction that will come in due time. I think it’s safe to say that he [Aiyuk] has played his last snap with the 49ers,” Lynch said when asked about Aiyuk’s future in San Francisco. “It’s an unfortunate situation that just went awry. I will look long and hard at what could have been done differently, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. I think that this was a case where that happened.”
The 27-year-old Aiyuk is set to enter the second season of a four-year, $120 million contract, which he signed within two weeks of the 2024 regular season. That agreement came against the backdrop of trade rumors regarding Aiyuk, as San Francisco was unable to close the gap in extension talks and the wide receiver was away from the team for the majority of the offseason before the two sides struck a deal.
Then, seven games into the 2024 season, Aiyuk tore both his ACL and MCL and hasn’t appeared in a game for the 49ers ever since. Meanwhile, San Francisco traded wide receiver and 2021 All-Pro Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round pick in the ensuing offseason.
This season, Aiyuk’s recovery was a topic of conversation. Moreover, San Francisco stripped Aiyuk of $27 million in injury guarantees in November after he didn’t participate in team meetings, a situation that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan called “unusual.”
From 2022-23, Aiyuk averaged 76.5 receptions for 1,178.5 yards and 7.5 touchdowns per season. San Francisco selected Aiyuk with the No. 25 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Arizona State. Without Aiyuk — and in the aftermath of trading Samuel — the 49ers still managed to be fifth in the NFL in passing yards this season, averaging 244.5 yards per game in the air.
San Francisco finished the regular season at 12-5 and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in the NFC wild-card round before being dismantled on the road by the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round, 41-6.
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