Jan. 21, 2026, 7:52 p.m. ET

If the Washington Commanders were interested in a Jayden Daniels/Brandon Aiyuk reunion this offseason, then 49ers general manager John Lynch delivered some good news on Wednesday.

In his season-ending press conference, Lynch confirmed the troubled wide receiver would not be back in a San Francisco uniform in 2026.

“I think it’s safe to say that he’s played his last snap with the Niners,” Lynch said, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.

“It’s unfortunate. A situation that just went awry. And I will look long and hard at what could have been done differently, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. And I think that this was a case where that happened.”

Aiyuk, 27, was a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Arizona State. He quickly developed into an important part of San Francisco’s offense, catching 60 passes for 748 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. Aiyuk’s progress continued over the next three seasons, and by the conclusion of his fourth season, he had 269 receptions, 3,931 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. Eligible for an extension, Aiyuk wanted to be paid.

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Throughout the 2024 offseason, Aiyuk flirted with the idea of playing for the Commanders, where his good friend, Daniels, was a rookie quarterback. The two sides eventually agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract extension just before Week 1. Unfortunately, in Week 7, tore his ACL and MCL and was lost for the season.

In July 2025, the 49ers placed Aiyuk on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list before training camp. In November, it was revealed that San Francisco voided the guaranteed money in his contract for 2026 due to his absence from the team. Aiyuk reportedly skipped multiple rehab sessions, and did not communicate with Lynch or head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The issues persisted into the season, with Shanahan saying he’d never seen a player’s contract voided. Lynch and Shanahan were at a loss for words about why Aiyuk stopped communicating with the team.

Aiyuk has zero trade value, meaning the 49ers will release him. Lynch even spoke of the financial flexibility the team will have when it moves on from Aiyuk. As for Aiyuk, the Commanders will be mentioned first as a potential landing spot. On paper, it makes sense. Daniels is the quarterback. The two are close from their one season together at Arizona State. Washington badly needs a top receiving option opposite Terry McLaurin. And GM Adam Peters was a part of San Francisco’s front office when it drafted Aiyuk.

What does that mean? We shall see. Before Aiyuk lands with any team, he’ll first have to prove he’s healthy. The Commanders currently only have three receivers under contract for 2026: McLaurin, Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane.