Three players were traded during the 2026 NFL Draft.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was not one of them, but general manager John Lynch is still keen to move him sometime in the future.
"No new update right now," Lynch said regarding Aiyuk on Saturday during his post-draft news conference, per team transcript. "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."
Aiyuk has been destined for a San Francisco exit for months now after the team placed him on the reserve/left squad list in December. Lynch acknowledged in January that it was "safe to say" Aiyuk had played has last down as a Niner, but the months ticking along have done nothing to diminish the 49ers' interest in getting something for the wideout after getting nothing from him in 2025.
"Not anytime soon," Lynch said when asked if he was planning on releasing Aiyuk.
It marks the third consecutive offseason that Aiyuk has become a fixture in trade speculation. In 2024, he requested a trade and held in at training camp before signing a long-term extension, a deal that did not prevent San Francisco from being open to trading him during the 2025 offseason as he recuperated from a torn ACL. Now, in 2026 -- after Aiyuk never took the field last season and the player-team relationship deteriorated -- Aiyuk seems destined once again for a new squad.
Though Lynch indicated his willingness to find a trade partner, it might behoove the 49ers to wait a few more months to commit to something.
They voided the guaranteed money owed to Aiyuk in 2026 but would still incur $29.6 million in dead money for the upcoming season by trading him ahead of June 1, per . In a post-June 1 trade, they'd only take on $8.3 million.
For now, the Niners move forward with a restocked WR room, having drafted De'Zhaun Stribling at No. 33 overall to partner with new addition Mike Evans and third-year wideout Ricky Pearsall.
Lynch is waiting for a call.
In the wake of the draft, some team with a remaining deficit at wide receiver could eventually pick up the phone.
