Why the 49ers Will be Unable to Trade Brandon Aiyuk

Don't expect the 49ers to get Brandon Aiyuk off the team in a trade.

Oct 10, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) catches the ball during warmups before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Bizarre, weird, and a debacle. Those are just a few words to use when describing the Brandon Aiyuk situation for the San Francisco 49ers.

Aiyuk completely ghosted the 49ers this season. It makes sense since he had his 2026 guarantees voided. That signaled the end of his 49ers tenure.

“I think it's safe to say that he has played his last snap with the Niners,” said John Lynch. “It's unfortunate, a situation that just went awry."

The 49ers will look to remove Aiyuk from the team, which means they can elect to trade him. There are some wide receiver-needy teams out there that wouldn’t mind taking a flier on him.

It’s better to get anything for Aiyuk than to let him go for nothing. However, if the 49ers do elect to attempt to trade him, they will be unsuccessful. It will be a waste of time. 

49ers have no shot at trading Brandon Aiyuk

Jul 24, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk works out with his teammates during the second day of training camp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

No team is going to trade for Aiyuk, knowing full well the Niners will release him. It makes no sense to give up any draft capital to do it. 

If a team were to offer the 49ers literally anything, they would take it in a heartbeat. Aiyuk is a lost cause for them, so if they could get something for him, they’d treat it like a win.

Perhaps a team tries to get ahead of Aiyuk's release. Trading a sixth-round pick (at best?) for a former All-Pro player isn’t a bad idea. Why not take the chance? 

However, I think Aiyuk's rep has now made him untouchable in a trade. He’s not even worth giving up a late-round pick for. If a team does, there’s no guarantee he shows up.

Aiyuk has proven he has no problem ghosting a team. He plays by his own rules. So why on earth would a team give up anything? Especially since the 49ers will release him.

Taking a flier on Aiyuk via free agency is fine and dandy, but not a trade. And I sincerely doubt the 49ers will try to trade him. They just want to flip the page and move on from him immediately.

Even if exhausting trade options is logical, sometimes it is best to just put a toxic situation behind you. And that’s what the 49ers will be doing when they cut Aiyuk at some point.

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