49ers GM John Lynch says Brandon Aiyuk 'played his last snap' with team

Cbssports reports 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters, four days after San Francisco's season-ending loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC divisional round, "I think it's safe to say he's played his last snap with the 49ers."

Brandon Aiyuk did not play a single snap for the 49ers in 2025, and it appears that the veteran receiver won't in 2026, either, after two tumultuous years that included a contentious contract negotiation, a season-ending knee injury and a voided portion of his deal. The team voided $27 million of 2026 salary guarantees in the four-year, $120 million extension he signed in August 2024; Aiyuk appeared in just seven games after that extension, all in 2024 before tearing the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list in July and has not been cleared by the club.

San Francisco set in motion the prospect of releasing Aiyuk this offseason when it voided the 2026 guarantees after he basically stopped showing up for work, and the team and player are expected to part ways following the recent stretch of events. Prior to 2024, Aiyuk was the 25th overall pick in the 2020 draft and had produced productive seasons, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards in 2022 and recording a career-high 1,342 receiving yards in 2023 while helping the 49ers reach the Super Bowl.

Key Topics

Sports, Brandon Aiyuk, John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, Seattle Seahawks