SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brandon Aiyuk won't be part of the 2026 San Francisco 49ers with the only remaining question about when he will be off the Niners' roster.
General manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan held their season-ending news conference on Wednesday, four days after the team was eliminated in a 41-6 playoff loss at Seattle, and put to rest any possibility that Aiyuk could return after leaving the team during the season.
“I think it’s safe to say that he has played his last snap with the Niners,” Lynch said. "It’s unfortunate, a situation that just went awry. I will look long and hard at what could have been done differently, but sometimes just doesn’t work out. And I think that this was a case where that happened.”
Lynch said the final transaction, likely a release, will come in “due time.”
Aiyuk's career in San Francisco took a major downturn after he signed a four-year, $120 million extension just before the start of the 2024 season after holding himself out of training camp practices all summer.
After being a second-team All-Pro in 2023, Aiyuk struggled in the first half of last season before going down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 7.
Then this past summer, the team voided $27 million guaranteed in his contract for next season when Aiyuk failing to participate in meetings and other team activities. Aiyuk was around the team during training camp and early in the season before Shanahan said he disappeared and failed to return texts or calls from anyone in the organization.
That led to the decision to put him on the season-ending reserve/left squad list in December and will pave the way for his likely release this offseason in a development that still confounds the Niners' leadership.
“There’s not much of an explanation because it’s really hard for us and anyone else to understand,” Shanahan said. “That’s why it’s something I’ve never seen in 22 years of coaching. It’s unfortunate and it’s confusing because it’s confusing for all of us. ... But, eventually you understand that it’s not going to change and you’ve got to move on with your football team, which is always the most important thing.”
While the 49ers will still carry a dead cap charge for Aiyuk next season, Lynch said not paying him $27 million in cash could free up money for other moves.
The 49ers will search for a fifth defensive coordinator in five seasons after Robert Saleh was hired as head coach by Tennessee earlier this week.
Saleh returned to San Francisco this season after a failed stint as head coach of the New York Jets and pieced together a defense ravaged by injuries to stars such as Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
Shanahan had been hoping to avoid another search for a defensive coordinator after firing Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen following the past two seasons. DeMeco Ryans left after 2022 to take over as head coach of Houston.
Shanahan said he would like to maintain a similar style of defense and said defensive assistant Gus Bradley is a strong internal candidate for the job. Bradley helped create the “Legion of Boom” defense in Seattle when he was there from 2009-12 and has served as defensive coordinator with the Chargers, Raiders and Colts the past decade after a stint as head coach in Jacksonville.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a real wide net, but Gus is the obvious one to everyone and is to us too," Shanahan said. “Gus would be the main internal candidate. We feel very fortunate to get Gus and great about that. But also, we are going to go through the whole process.”
The major injuries that sidelined stars such as Bosa, Warner and tight end George Kittle had a major impact on San Francisco's season but the team also dealt with several other injuries as the Niners once again ranked near the top of the league in games lost to injuries.
Outside of a relatively healthy season in 2023 when the Niners reached the Super Bowl, they have ranked near the top of the league in injuries.
“Injuries are a part of this game,” Lynch said. "What we strive to do is never to eliminate injuries, but to mitigate injuries, and I think we have a lot of good processes. We’ll challenge them all. That process has begun. It never frankly stopped, but yes, we’ll look at everything and we’ll examine everything.”
Lynch said the team has heard the speculation that an electrical substation located in proximity to the practice field could contribute to the high rate of injuries. He said he hasn't seen any evidence that it has but that the team will investigate further.
“I think you have to look into everything,” Lynch said. “We’ve been reaching out to anyone and everyone to see does a study exist other than a guy sticking an apparatus underneath the fence and by coming up with a number that I have no idea what that means. That’s what we know exists. We’ve heard that debunked. So yes, we will look into it.”
The Niners have practiced at this location since 1988 with the substation located next door.
Lynch said he expected Bosa back from his torn ACL by the start of training camp and was hopeful first-round defensive end Mykel Williams can return from his in that timeframe as well.
He didn't give a timeline on when Kittle could return after going down with an Achilles tendon injury in the wild-card win against Philadelphia, but is counting on him to be a major contributor again next season.
Rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins might not need surgery after hurting his shoulder in the playoff loss.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch signs autographs before an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks during a news conference after NFL football divisional playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
FILE - San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer,File)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Premier League teams are powering ahead in the Champions League with five of England's top flight clubs in position to advance to the round of 16.
Arsenal tops the standings and has already secured its place in the next round, while wins for Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea on Wednesday saw them move into the top eight automatic qualifying positions with one game of the league phase to go. Tottenham is fifth, with Manchester City the only English team in the playoff positions going into next week's matches.
"Let’s make sure we’re in the top eight. We’ve put ourselves in a good position, but that’s for next week,” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said.
Liverpool is fourth after a 3-0 win at Marseille. Newcastle beat PSV Eindhoven by the same score and Chelsea won 1-0 against Pafos.
Bayern Munich is second and joined Arsenal in advancing to the round of 16 with Harry Kane scoring twice in a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise.
Barcelona is in ninth place after a 4-2 win at Slavia Prague and risks having to to go through the playoffs to advance.
But there is much to play for in the final round of league phase games with just three points separating third place Real Madrid and Juventus in 15th.
The top eight qualify directly to the round of 16. Teams placed from nine to 24 enter a two-legged playoff to advance.
Prepare for a dramatic final round of games before the knockouts.
While the remaining six automatic qualification spots are still up for grabs, just two points separate the last of the playoff places and Ajax, which is 32nd in the standings.
One standout game sees Italian champion Napoli host Chelsea. Napoli is 25th — one place below the playoffs. It also means a reunion for Napoli coach Antonio Conte and his former club Chelsea.
"It’s a massive game. For Napoli as well. They need to win to stay in the competition; we need to win to be in the top eight," Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said. “It’s going to be a great game against a massive club, with a great manager.”
Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain hosts Newcastle and dropped points for either team could see them fall into the playoffs.
Man City’s home game against Galatasaray also has much riding on it if the 2023 European champion is to avoid the danger of the playoffs.
Jose Mourinho needs a win at his former club Madrid to give Benfica any chance of making the playoffs.
Liverpool topped the league phase last year — only to be eliminated by PSG in the round of 16. Arne Slot's team has made harder work of it this time around, but victory in Marseille leaves the Premier League champion in a strong position going into its final game at home to Qarabag.
Dominik Szoboszlai's free kick put Liverpool ahead in the first half. A Geronimo Rulli own goal doubled the advantage and Cody Gakpo sealed the win that also saw Hugo Ekitike hit the bar and Mohamed Salah miss a golden chance.
Newcastle cruised past PSV at St James' Park, with Yoane Wissa, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes on the score sheet, while it took a Moises Caicedo header to see Chelsea break down a stubborn Pafos.
Kane scored goals number 35 and 36 in a remarkable season for the Bayern striker — but he was left to rue missing out on a fourth hat trick of the season when his second-half penalty struck the crossbar.
The England captain scored twice in the space of three minutes in the second half against Union Saint-Gilloise — first with a near-post header and then winning and converting from the penalty spot.
Fermin Lopez also scored twice as Barcelona fought back to beat Slavia Prague, with a stunning long-range effort the pick of his goals.
Prague led after 10 minutes through Vasil Kusej, but Lopez struck twice to give Barcelona the lead. A Robert Lewandowski own goal leveled the game before halftime.
Substitute Dan Olmo curled into the top corner to put Barcelona in front again and Lewandowski scored at the end to seal the 4-2 win.
United States international Weston McKennnie scored for the third time in the Champions League this season as Juventus beat Benfica 2-0.
Juve is 15th and guaranteed to at least make the playoffs.
Atalanta is 13th after losing 3-2 at home to Athletic Bilbao, which is 23rd.
Tiny Qarabag is making a big impression in the competition and picked up its third win in the league phase after Bahlul Mustafazade scored deep into stoppage time on to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2.
The Azerbaijani team edged closer to securing a place in the playoffs with just one game remaining thanks to its late comeback, which also confirmed Frankfurt’s elimination.
Camilo Duran had put the home team ahead in the fourth minute, but Frankfurt responded through Can Uzun and Fares Chaibi. Duran leveled the game in the 80th before Mustafazade’s winner in the 94th.
A Marcos Llorente own goal denied Atletico Madrid victory as the Spanish team drew 1-1 at Galatasaray. Giuliano Simeone scored early for Atletico before Llorente’s own goal in the 20th.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Bayern's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and Union Saint-Gilloise, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Newcastle's Anthony Gordon celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League soccer match between Newcastle and PSV in Newcastle, England, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez reacts during the Champions League soccer match between Chelsea and Pafos in London, England, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Barcelona's Dani Olmo, center, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Slavia Prague and Barcelona in Prague, Czech Republic, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong, left, and Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai celebrate after Marseille's goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli scored an own goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Marseille and Liverpool in Marseille, France, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
Qarabag's Camilo Duran, right, holds the Player of the Match award after the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Qarabag and Eintracht Frankfurt in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (AP Photo)
Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister leaves the pitch after the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Burnley in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal reacts during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and Barcelona in San Sebastian, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Barcelona's Marcus Rashford in action during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and Barcelona in San Sebastian, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)
Liverpool's manager Arne Slot enters to the pitch prior to the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Burnley in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
