John Lynch on Brandon Aiyuk: We'll look for a path that works for both sides

Published November 5, 2026 06:33 PM Brandon Aiyuk filed for reinstatement from the 49ers’ left squad list this week and he’s expected to be at the team’s facility on Friday to take the next step in resuming his football career. Once he is reinstated, the 49ers will have a choice between keeping him on the active roster, trading him or releasing him. The latter option is seen as the likeliest given the lack of trade interest earlier this year and both head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch saying that Aiyuk is done playing for the Niners. Shanahan said on Wednesday that his thinking hasn’t changed and Lynch said on KNBR Thursday that the team is working with the league to come up with the best solution. “Look, I think the way I’ll characterize it, number one, we’ve got a 6-1 football team that we think has really got a shot at this thing this year,” Lynch said. “So our focus is going to remain on this team. Kyle spoke of that yesterday. Having said that, I have a job to do, and it entails a lot of different things. This is kind of a unique situation, not one you have — so there’s really no playbook, but I always go back to what’s my charge, what’s my job. My job is to look out for the best interests of the 49ers, and as such, in this particular situation, we’re working with the NFL management council to navigate through kind of a different situation. It’s fluid. I’m going to kinda leave it at that because I’ve been recommended to do so, and I think it’s the right thing to do. We’ll look for a pathway for both sides here that works. Next week we can talk a little more in detail about the process because kind of a fluid situation.”Lynch said generally that anything is possible when asked if there’s any way Aiyuk could return to the team and said the wideout’s new agent Drew Rosenhaus “is a good guy to deal with” before reiterating that he’d have more to say in the future about the entire situation.