The San Francisco 49ers have already made one thing very clear in the 2026 offseason: Brandon Aiyuk will not be playing for them in 2026.
The 49ers and Aiyuk had seemingly reached common ground with a massive new contract, until things went south once again. The relationship between Aiyuk and the 49ers has been severed to the point that he might not even be traded this offseason. He could simply be cut if it comes down to it.
Regardless, teams will be lining up to see if they can get the best out of Aiyuk going forward, and there is no shortage of wide receiver-needy teams out there. Which teams could be the best and most ideal landing spots for Brandon Aiyuk in 2026?
3 ideal landing spots for Brandon Aiyuk when 49ers inevitably move on in 2026
1. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders would make a lot of sense for Brandon Aiyuk for a wide variety of reasons.
First of all, their general manager -- Adam Peters -- was an executive with the 49ers when Aiyuk was drafted in the first round out of Arizona State once upon a time. The connection and relationship equity there could help tremendously.
Second, the Commanders have one of Aiyuk's old teammates -- Deebo Samuel -- already on the roster. They've also got Jayden Daniels, who has a connection with Aiyuk dating back to their time together early on at Arizona State. Those connections could play a huge role in determining where Aiyuk plays next.
2. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders don't offer prospective free agents or trade candidates a chance to maybe play for a title right away, but they are going to try to at least start building something special in the 2026 offseason.
One significant connection for Aiyuk with the Raiders is their new head coach, Klint Kubiak, who was on the 49ers' staff back in 2023, which was one of the best seasons of Aiyuk's entire career so far.
The Raiders will almost certainly have Fernando Mendoza coming in as the #1 pick, so getting him a go-to threat at receiver like this would be fantastic, especially because the risk at this point is probably a lot lower than a year or two ago.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers hired Mike McDaniel as their offensive coordinator this offseason, so you've got to instantly be on the lookout for players he could be connected with to come in and try to help the Chargers get over the hump.
It is going to be interesting to see how the Chargers approach the receiver position this offseason after a down year from Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston really just solidifying what his ceiling is, and Keenan Allen coming back to lead the team in targets.
No receiver on the Chargers reached 800 yards this past season, so this could be an underrated area for them to address despite the optics of the roster/depth chart going into the offseason.