49ers’ reason for not releasing Brandon Aiyuk yet revealed by insider

49ers’ reason for not releasing Brandon Aiyuk yet revealed by insider originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Francisco 49ers are in a tricky spot with their top wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. While San Francisco might need wide receiver help, Aiyuk’s time with the team is all but over.

It’s been widely reported that Aiyuk won’t be on the roster next year, as he’s expected to be released this offseason. But after the first two weeks of the offseason have now passed, why is Aiyuk still with the team?

As Armando Salguero of outkick.com notes, the 49ers might be holding out hope for a trade with Aiyuk to materialize this offseason.

49ers holding out hope for Brandon Aiyuk trade despite near-zero odds

“The start of the new league year has so far seen the 49ers do absolutely nothing with Aiyuk,” Salguero writes. “They have not released or traded him. … The 49ers may be holding out hope of getting something for their pain in the form of a trade after June 1.”

Despite such a wish from the 49ers, there’s one unnamed NFL executive, whose team needs a wide receiver this offseason, who thinks it’s ridiculous that the 49ers are trying to trade Aiyuk for anything this offseason.

“They’re not getting anything significant for him in a trade,” an unnamed executive said. “I wouldn’t give anything for him, and everyone knows we need a receiver.”

Aiyuk is a 28-year-old wide receiver who, if he were fully healthy and had played all season, would’ve drawn plenty of trade inquiries.

But that isn’t what happened. Aiyuk didn’t play at all this past season and had a very clear falling out with the team by not showing up to recover from his ACL injury from the 2024 NFL season, according to the 49ers’ wishes.

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The two sides are now headed for a split, and yet, the 49ers are holding out hope for a team to trade for Aiyuk instead of simply signing him when he hits free agency

Unfortunately for the 49ers, there is almost no incentive for a team to trade anything of value, even a seventh-round pick, for Aiyuk this offseason.

He missed all of 2025, and there are very real questions about his future in the NFL. What team would spend on Aiyuk in a trade? This anonymous NFL executive’s comments make it clear that the 49ers’ wish for a trade to materialize with Aiyuk is not likely to come true.

San Francisco hasn’t released Aiyuk this offseason as they’re holding out hope for a trade. It’s incredibly unlikely, and more likely than not, the 49ers will end up cutting Aiyuk this offseason.