San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke at the NFL owners meetings this morning and touched on various topics, from the 49ers’ trip to Australia and Christian McCaffrey’s workload.
Naturally, Shanahan was asked about controversial wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. When asked about a potential release, the head coach said the team is hoping to get something in return for the former first-round pick but isn’t sure when that will happen, and maintained the team is in no rush:
“I don’t have a date
for it, but I know eventually it’ll resolve itself. Hopefully, we could get something for it. And I know we’re in no rush to do that. You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners. And you know, you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can get something for that and take care of itself.”
One thing is for sure: this standoff is far from over. It’s no secret that Aiyuk wants to play with his buddy Jayden Daniels in Washington. However, the front office isn’t into making that move easy for the former Arizona State receiver either.
What are the salary cap implications for Aiyuk? According to Overthecap.com, Aiyuk is set to take up 4.3% of the cap at $14,640,281. If Aiyuk is cut before June 1st, the 49ers would take on a nearly 30 million dollar dead cap hit, and the move offers no cap savings. However, a post-June 1st cut would only be $8,338,281 in dead money and comes with a $6,302,000 cap saving.
As far as a trade goes, a pre-June 1st trade is similar to a cut. It will still be a nearly 30 million dollar dead cap hit and save the team nothing. A trade would be identical to a cut after June 1st. It would be wise for the 49ers to wait this out one way or another and hope someone comes and offers something for the receiver.
Any return on a trade for Aiyuk would be a late-round pick since a team would have to pick up his contract, which has over $50 million remaining. As far as Washington goes, according to multiple reports, they aren’t interested in trading for Aiyuk and would likely wait out a potential cut to sign the receiver.
An under-the-radar trade partner could be the New Orleans Saints. A potential trade could bring in a 2026 late-round pick and a conditional 2027 pick based on performance, while the Saints pick up the tab. The New England Patriots could be another landing spot, given their initial interest in Aiyuk following his trade request. The Patriots have also been linked to A.J. Brown, so it’s clear they are in the market for a top-end receiver target.
The 49ers are holding firm, waiting for someone to call. It’s the smart move for the salary cap and in the interest of getting back draft compensation. The plot thickens between the receiver and the 49ers.
