The San Francisco 49ers Still Have One Major Question to Answer

The San Francisco 49ers have answered the majority of their offseason questions, and most of the questions that linger now are minor depth chart-related thoughts. However, one big question surrounding star wide receiver Brandon Aiyu is still looming.

The San Francisco 49ers have unfinished business with Brandon Aiyuk

When will the 49ers get rid of Aiyuk is the question that Tyler Sullivan listed when he posed the most pressing issues for all 32 NFL teams on CBS Sports.

The NFL appears to be in a bit of a staring contest when it comes to Aiyuk. The 49ers are adamant that they will not release Aiyuk, and a team needs to trade for him. However, most teams think that once the 49ers have to decide if they want to save money against the cap or not, they will move on from him.

So, the 49ers continue to wait for an offer while other teams wait for the 49ers to release Aiyuk. The 49ers do have some leverage here. There are not many moves that the team is going to make between now and the start of the season, so the team does not need to clear the Aiyuk salary from its cap.

The 49ers can wait until a late enough portion in the offseason that Aiyuk will be missing training camp and trying to catch up on whatever team he signs for when they do release him. In the meantime, an injury could occur, teams could get desperate, and they could trade him. So, it makes sense why they would hold on.

On the other hand, it does not look good that they are on bad terms with a player, and they are playing hardball. Free agents and other players are taking notice and deciding if they want to deal with that.

The other factor is that Aiyuk might not even want to play. He has not pleaded for his release, and there is not much buzz around him working out. This makes it easier for the 49ers to hold onto him, though. They do not look bad if he is pleading to be released and they are hanging onto him, and teams are not going to offer anything if they are unsure on his commitment level, making it easier to justify not moving him.

The 49ers and Aiyuk will eventually divorce, but if the over or under is August 1, the smart money is to take a date after August 1.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as The San Francisco 49ers Still Have One Major Question to Answer .

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM.