Who Should I Start? Brandon Aiyuk or Josh Downs

Wednesday, April 29, 12:44 PM

It's been a surprise that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee), who hasn't played since tearing his ACL in October of 2024, is still with the San Francisco 49ers, with April coming to an end this week. In January, general manager John Lynch said that it was "safe to say" that Aiyuk had played his last snap with the organization. Lynch later said an Aiyuk-related move would come before the new league year started on March 11. In late March, Lynch said he didn't have a date when asked when the 49ers might release Aiyuk, and he also added that "we're in no rush to do that." The 49ers were discussing a trade of Aiyuk in the lead-up to last week's NFL draft, but nothing came to fruition. Lynch seemed to indicate that if Aiyuk wasn't traded during the draft, they might finally release the former first-rounder. The Niners don't appear to be in any rush to do Aiyuk any favors after a lengthy contract dispute in 2024 before his season-ending knee injury that year. Aiyuk then stopped showing up for his rehab last year, at which point the team voided the remaining guarantees on his contract. The Athletic's Matt Barrows thinks the team's first organized team activity practice on May 27 might be an "unofficial marker" for Aiyuk's release. The 28-year-old former 25th overall pick in 2020 out of Arizona State had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, but he's coming off a major knee injury, which will make him a huge question mark in 2026 fantasy football leagues. The Commanders appear to be the likeliest landing spot for Aiyuk if he's eventually released, potentially linking up with former college teammate, QB Jayden Daniels.