All-Pro Wide Receiver Highlights Buffalo Bills' NFL Free Agency Wish List

Free agency is in full swing, and the Buffalo Bills have made a few moves to help bolster their roster entering the 2026 season.

However, the Bills have many holes to fill on both sides of the ball, including at the wide receiver position. While Buffalo swung a trade for a pass catcher last week, there remains room to add more talent to the team’s WR unit, which underperformed a season ago.

And there is one player who stands out above the rest atop the team’s free-agent wish list.

Former All-Pro

Brandon Aiyuk’s relationship with the San Francisco 49ers has soured over the last year, leading to a falling out with the organization, which is expected to release him sometime soon. If that indeed turns out to be the case, the Bills should be ready to pounce on one of the more effective deep threats in the NFL.

The six-year pro was selected as a second-team All-Pro in 2023, when he recorded 1,342 yards receiving on a whopping average of 17.9 yards per reception while adding seven touchdowns. He also accounted for 64 first downs that season, which was a career high.

Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension in 2024 and recorded 25 receptions for 374 yards through seven games before sustaining a significant knee injury that ended his year. After rehabbing throughout the offseason, he didn’t play at all in 2025 due to the breakdown between him and the 49ers. He was placed on the reserve/left squad list in December and remained there through the end of the season.

The downside

After being placed on the reserve list, Aiyuk posted an image to social media that displayed him speeding past San Francisco’s home field, Levi Stadium, which has now led police to investigate whether the wide receiver was driving over 100 mph on an open road.

He later apologized for the incident, but it showed the volatile nature of the NFL veteran, which his personal WR coach, former NFL vet T.J. Houshmandzadeh, commented on during an appearance on the Speakeasy podcast.

“Yes, they should want him, but you gotta be careful,” said Houshmandzadeh when asked if teams should pursue Aiyuk. “… What he did last year is kinda crazy. You’ve got all this guaranteed money, you ain’t showing up, you ain’t—you getting fined, and you basically forgo—what was it over $30 million, right?

“Over 30 million dollars. If you’re a team and you give him a good contract, is this what you’re going to get? Because this is what he has shown us.”

Brandon Aiyuk’s personal WR coach, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, on whether teams should want Aiyuk:

“Yeah, they should want him, but you have to be very careful.. What he did last year was kind of crazy. You’ve got all this guaranteed money, you’re not showing up, you’re getting fined,… pic.twitter.com/TY9RZmBuj0
— NinerStats (@NinerStats) March 12, 2026

He added, “Yes, he’s going to get signed. But if you’re a team, you’ve got to structure that contract the right way. You’ve got to make sure you protect yourself because of what he has shown you to be.”

Aiyuk is about to turn 28 years old, so he has plenty of football left ahead of him if he gets his act together. The talent is unquestionable, but there are a few concerns regarding the show-stopping wide receiver.

Go get him

With that said, as desperate as the Bills are in a make-or-break season, Aiyuk is a player worth taking a chance on if he has any interest in playing alongside a former MVP quarterback in Buffalo.

Before his explosive ’23 season, he recorded another 1,000-yard campaign that featured eight touchdown receptions in 2022, over 800 yards and five TDs in 2021 and over 700 yards and five more scores in 2020. He has never recorded fewer than 12.5 yards per reception throughout his five seasons on the field for the 49ers.

Under former head coach Sean McDermott, the Bills were wary of bringing in players with character issues. And after how the saga with former Buffalo WR Stefon Diggs ended, fans may be trepidatious when it comes to offering Aiyuk a big-time deal. But if the 49ers release him, the Bills should look to bring him in on a moderately priced, short-term contract.

Buffalo previously added DJ Moore via trade and has Khalil Shakir returning at the position as well. However, beyond that, the Bills are lacking talent to fill their depth chart. Keon Coleman has been a disappointment, as has Joshua Palmer, while Tyrell Shavers is what he is at this point in his career.

Aiyuk would address a major need for the Bills, and they should strongly consider bringing him in if and when he is released. He would be worth the swing.