On Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers held a press conference to talk about the past season and current changes they are dealing with inlduing the loss of Robert Saleh to the Tennessee Titans. In that press conference, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk had played his last snap with the Niners.
Aiyuk played very well in San Fransico but it seemed that the relationship was breaking, and tearing his ACL pretty much shut the door. Reports said that Aiyuk stopped coming to the facilities and stopped talking to some of the players and coaches. Quotes courtesy of David Lombardi.
John Lynch: “I wish I knew. I can’t help you.”
Kyle Shanahan: “It’s confusing for all of us. … We still don’t understand it very well.”
Safe to say, his time is done, and the Niners will enter the offseason trying to trade him. If they cannot trade the expensive receiver, then Aiyuk could be cut. The Niners do not have any leverage on the matter.
The 49ers’ wide receiver room is not great. Jauan Jennings is an upcoming free agent, so only two guys are difference makers right now, Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson. With Jennings lined up to be a free agent, now is a good time to look at four free agent targets (in no order) that the Niners could go after to replace Aiyuk and potentially Jennings. Jennings could command a lot on the market with a thin class of receivers.
George Pickens
The Dallas Cowboys have made a lot of crazy moves over the last year. One of those moves was to acquire George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers. It doesn’t make much sense for Jerry Jones to trade for Pickens and let him walk; however, if Pickens does walk, the Niners could be a great fit for the Second Team All-Pro receiver. Many teams are hoping the Cowboys do not use the franchise tag on him.
The star receiver racked up 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, catching passes from Dak Prescott. Pickens would come to the Bay Area and become Brock Purdy’s top receiver with Pearsall as his No. 2. The offense is going to need help with George Kittle out for most, if not the entire 2026-27 season. Pickens would be a home run signing for the Niners.
Mike Evans
Mike Evans is an interesting target here. He becomes a free agent after spending his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The future Hall of Fame receiver could stay in Tampa Bay longer; however, there are some issues. Evans missed 12 games the last two years and is now 32 years old. He still has a ton left in the tank, but the Bucs are paying Chris Godwin Jr. and contain a rising star, Emeka Egbuka. It doesn’t make any sense for the Bucs to pay Evans north of $20 million unless they really want to keep him there.
With that said, the Niners come into play if he enters free agency. SF will be desperate for offensive help and could bring in Evans to become the new No. 1 receiver if they can’t get Pickens.
Romeo Doubs
Romeo Doubs has a ton of potential in the NFL. He has had some great moments with the Green Bay Packers, but the receiving core is deep, likely forcing his way to another team in 2026. The Packers drafted Matthew Golden in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft. They also contain Jayden Reed and Christian Watson, whom the Packers recently extended. Dontayvion Wicks is also a really good receiver. The Packers paying Doubs would be a wild choice.
The 49ers would be getting a valuable receiver who has proven to make big plays in the playoffs. In his final game against the Chicago Bears, Doubs caught eight passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Doubs would be a reliable option for Purdy and would command roughly $15 million per season.
Tyreek Hill
Tyreek Hill is not a free agent, but much like Aiyuk, Hill is likely to be done playing with the Miami Dolphins. Former head coach Mike McDaniel is now likely to go to the Los Angeles Chargers and become their OC. Hill has wanted out in the past, and his latest injury gives them no hope for a future.
If the Dolphins cut Hill, which is likely to happen, then the Niners could be intrigued by him as a cheap option. I understand that this is a super-long shot. His production has dipped; however, when healthy, Hill is a very good possession catcher. He is as fast as anyone with plenty of juice left in the tank. A change of scenery would be good for the star receiver.
The off-field issues are there, which could keep him out of the league next season altogether.
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