The first day of the NFL league year is March 11, and Adam Schefter thinks the 49ers won\u2019t waste any time moving on from wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be released on the first day of the league year, I think,\u201d Schefter said, without any delay on the answer during his appearance on the Pardon My Take<\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n This falls in line with John Lynch\u2019s comments earlier this week on the 49ers\u2019 plans for Aiyuk. Well, it\u2019s a bit more specific than Lynch\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n \u201cI think nothing will happen until the new league year starts,\u201d Lynch said when asked about the contract during his press conference at the 2026 NFL Combine. \u201cAnd then when it happens, kind of semantics, but that\u2019s when something could happen there.\u201d<\/p>\n There was some speculation that Aiyuk could still be traded, but there wasn\u2019t much to suggest league interest in Aiyuk or his contract. The bigger issue of an Aiyuk trade, as the 49ers have learned, is that when the 49ers last tried to trade their wide receiver, Aiyuk refused to go to any of the teams making offers to the 49ers.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had so many trade conversations with so many teams,\u201d Schefter said. \u201cAnd I think they\u2019ve probably gone back to those teams. But I think the math is different. The situation is different. The way he behaved this year with some of the social stuff is different. Everything is different.\u201d<\/p>\n Aiyuk tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus. The final two years of his deal, 2027 and 2028, are slated for base salaries of an estimated $27 million and $29 million, respectively (Note: this does not account for voided guarantees). That alone, combined with the injury, makes the trade a very risky option for a team. Aiyuk\u2019s social media usage doesn\u2019t<\/a> help either.<\/p>\n \u201cI think teams are curious,\u201d Schefter continued. \u201cAnd before they would do anything, they want to have to check out his knee.\u201d<\/p>\n