ESPN Expert Sounds Off On Brandon Aiyuk's Future with the 49ers

The 2026 NFL league year officially begins on March 11 at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT in San Francisco), marking the point when the 49ers can formally execute their offseason moves.

It’s fast approaching, leaving the organization with no shortage of decisions. Still, one outcome feels all but written, even if the 49ers must wait until 1 p.m. to make it official.

Brandon Aiyuk's future will be decided right from the off

The decision in question is the future of Brandon Aiyuk. His behavior and conduct, coupled with not playing a single snap in 2025, signal one likely outcome — his time in the City by the Bay appears to be coming to an end.

ESPN's Adam Schefter believes his future will be determined right at the outset of the new league year.

“He’ll be released on the first day of the league year, I think,” Schefter said during his appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast.

“They had so many trade conversations with so many teams,” Schefter said. “And I think they’ve probably gone back to those teams. But I think the math is different. The situation is different. The way he behaved this year with some of the social stuff is different. Everything is different."

A release may ultimately be the most realistic outcome, as it seems unlikely any team would surrender significant draft capital, or even a compensatory-level pick, given the circumstances.

A torn ACL and MCL naturally raise questions about his true market value, particularly considering he last played in Week 7 of the 2024 season. By the time the 2026 league year begins, it will have been nearly two years since he last appeared in a game.

"I think teams are curious, and before they would do anything, they want to have to check out his knee, because that was his own devastating knee injury, and they wanted to see where he's at mentally before they would move on," shared Schefter.

"There are a lot of questions there, but we know he's not going to be in San Francisco."

One likely suitor could be the Washington Commanders, but even then, there's a lot of unpredictability.

"We don't know what he's physically going to be like. His knee was shredded," Schefter said. "I can't say that [the Washington Commanders won't go after him], because him and Jayden Daniels are close, and Jayden may push for him.

"I think that's a possibility. Just go back and look at the teams that the Niners spoke to when they were having trade talks - the Steelers, the Commanders, the Patriots. I would think all of those teams would at least check in on him. Now, who's going to move forward? That's a hard thing to say."

We’ll soon find out where Brandon Aiyuk ends up. If his time in San Francisco is truly over, it closes the book on an era defined as much by potential as it was by unanswered questions.