49ers cutting cord on Brandon Aiyuk, envision Gus Bradley as next defensive coordinator

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brandon Aiyuk’s sketchy status hovered like a dark cloud over this past 49ers’ season, and that won’t be the case next season.

“It’s safe to say he’s played his last snap with the Niners. It’s unfortunate, a situation that just went awry,” general manager John Lynch said in Wednesday’s end-of-season address with coach Kyle Shanahan.

As that 49ers power couple enters its 10th season, they are aligned in so much about this direction’s franchise, and neither is willing to tolerate Aiyuk’s uncertain status, as evident a month ago when the former No. 1 wide receiver was placed on the reserve/left squad list.

Aiyuk’s recovery from a 2024 knee injury seemed to be progressing, but his failure to stick with the 49ers’ recovery plan allowed them, with his consent, to void $27 million in 2026 guarantees. Aiyuk visibly remained around the team and in warmups through training camp and the preseason, then went AWOL in September.

Aiyuk’s release (or trade) will “come in due time,” said Lynch, noting he “wish I knew” why Aiyuk went dark on the team.

Shanahan said his line of communication with the 2020 first-round pick ended once Aiyuk did not respond to Shanahan’s repeated attempts to reach him, as well as other team members.

“Eventually, there was not much of an explanation, so it’s hard for us to understand and not something I’ve seen in 22 years of coaching,” Shanahan said. “It’s unfortunate, and it’s confusing for all of us.”

The next wide receiver who could cause financial chaos is Jauan Jennings, who is slated for free agency. He had a team-high nine touchdown catches in his sixth season, plus a touchdown pass in the wild-card win at Philadelphia.

“We’d love to have him back. We’ll work to get that accomplished,” Lynch said.

Shanahan commended Ricky Pearsall’s approach toward early-season success and cited a Week 4 knee injury for costing him nine games in a no-touchdown season.

While Lynch did not rule out trading for a veteran wide receiver, Shanahan acknowledged the 49ers’ overall speed must improve. “Yes, definitely,” Shanahan said. “Being fast helps. Being good helps. … We definitely were noticeably slower this year than in years past. … We definitely need more speed out there.”

Bradley next DC?

Shanahan confirmed that Gus Bradley, this season’s assistant head coach/defense, is the frontrunner to step in at defensive coordinator as Robert Saleh leaves to coach the Tennessee Titans.

“I’m going to say it’s a wide net but, I mean, Gus is the obvious one to everyone, and us, too,” Shanahan said. “Gus will be the main internal candidate. I felt very fortunate to get Gus (in 2025). We are going to go through the whole process and the requirements we have to do and want to do, also. Hopefully it’s settled sooner than later.”

Shanahan said he expects Saleh to try to poach some coaches from his staff in the coming days. Shanahan is going on his fifth different defensive coordinator in five seasons: “I’m really happy for Saleh and his family that they got what they deserved. I wish it was maybe a year later, would love to have Saleh for another year.”

Mac Jones trade?

Neither Shanahan nor Lynch seemed excited about flipping backup quarterback Mac Jones into trade equity, although neither ruled out a deal, with Jones under contract for 2026. “We’re not into getting rid of good players. So I’d be surprised if Mac wasn’t around us next year,” Shanahan said.

Added Lynch: “Mac made this place better and was outstanding this season. He picked us up in a huge way. It was a really fun process to watch him come in and the joy he was playing with. … Like Kyle said, you always listen (to trade offers), but I know we’re a better team with Mac Jones on our roster.”

Substation speculation

Lynch did not outright dismiss this month’s viral conspiracy alleging that 49ers’ injuries could be traced to a neighboring electrical substation. Lynch isn’t buying it, either.

“Because it deals with allegedly the health and safety of our players, you have to look into everything. Our guys have been,” Lynch said. “We’ve been reaching out to anyone and everyone to see if a study exists, other than a guy sticking an apparatus underneath the fence and coming up with a number that I have no idea what that means. We’ve heard that debunked. We’ll look into it.

“… I know a lot of games have been won at this facility since it opened (in 1989). We won’t turn a blind eye. We’ll look into everything.”

Health updates

— Tight end George Kittle is expected back next season, and although Lynch wouldn’t announce a timeline, he said: “I remember when I first started playing and you had an Achilles and everybody was, ‘Oh, man, that’s tough, you’re never the same.’ That’s not the case anymore. The surgeries, they’ve gotten much better and more aggressive in their rehab and how quickly they get after it and I think that will be the case for George.”

— Defensive ends Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are tracking well in their ACL recoveries and could be back by training camp in six months.

— Running back Christian McCaffrey is fine after sustaining a nerve-stinger near his neck and left shoulder in the season finale.

— Defensive tackle Alfred Collins may require surgery after a dislocated shoulder in Saturday’s end to his rookie season.

— Tight end Jake Tonges will require a few weeks of rest to recover from plantar fasciitis.

— Linebacker Nick Martin cleared concussion protocol after missing the past 1 1/2 months.

Injury ‘mitigation’

Lynch acknowledged this season’s injuries “took a toll” that will prompt the 49ers to explore trends and data. “This year, probably because the star players that went down, there was a lot of attention,” Lynch said. “The fact of the matter is injuries are part of the game. We strive never to eliminate injuries but to mitigate injuries. We have a good process, and we will challenge them all. That process has begun and frankly has never stopped.””

Future contracts

Offensive lineman Zachary Thomas signed a reserve/future contract a day after the 49ers announced such deals with offensive linemen Isaac Alarcon, Drake Nugent and Brandon Parker; defensive lineman Evan Anderson, William Bradley-King, and, Sebastian Valdez; wide receivers Junior Bergen and Malik Turner; defensive backs Eli Apple, Derrick Canteen and Darrick Forrest; linebackers Jalen Graham and Andrew Farmer II; and quarterback Adrian Martinez.