49ers Still Hoping for Brandon Aiyuk Trade Partner After NFL Draft

The San Francisco 49ers went into the 2026 NFL Draft with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk still on the roster.

The 49ers have been hoping for some trade suitor to make an offer to acquire Aiyuk and at least get something for him, but nothing has materialized before or after the draft.

Following the conclusion of Day 3, 49ers GM John Lynch said they are still holding out hope for a trade involving Aiyuk.

"No new update right now," Lynch said, via Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. "We're available. Give us a call. And like I said earlier, I think it's the prudent thing to do. He's an extremely talented player. He's been an extremely effective player in our league; situation didn't work itself out here. That's not to say that it can't be rekindled somewhere else. And we'd be happy to do something with anyone if the opportunity presented itself."

In January, Lynch said that Aiyuk has "played his last snap for us" and the team has been hoping to trade him rather than release him outright.

But, a good time would've been during the draft, although nothing came to light.

Which Teams Make Sense for an Aiyuk Trade?

Currently, nobody has reported much on the Aiyuk trade front.

For quite some time, the Washington Commanders were viewed as the favorites to land Aiyuk, and that still makes sense.

The Los Angeles Chargers could use a veteran WR, and the New England Patriots make sense, to an extent, if they don't acquire A.J. Brown, although that continues to feel like a foregone conclusion once June comes.

For San Francisco, trading Aiyuk sometime after June 1 would only hit them with $8.3 million in dead cap space, and Lynch said after the draft that they aren't planning to release Aiyuk anytime soon.

As training camp begins and roster shuffling starts, maybe teams will call and make more offers for Aiyuk, but for right now, he remains a member of the 49ers even though he has appeared to play his final snap in Santa Clara.

Related: Brandon Aiyuk needs a clean slate, wherever he goes

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 10:52 AM.