49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said last month that he “would love for Brandon Aiyuk to be” part of the team’s future. But with the contract situation spiraling into a financial headache, that hope now looks more like a lifeline. Letting Aiyuk go without a smart strategy could leave the 49ers with a $29 million hole in their salary cap.

“Releasing Brandon Aiyuk without a post–June 1 tag leaves roughly $29M in dead money on the 2026 cap,” per 49ers & NFL News 24/7.

This dead money would weigh heavily on their financial flexibility. The 49ers can only soften the blow by using a post-June 1 designation to split the cap hit. That spreads it out around $8 million in 2026 and about $21 million in 2027.

If they keep Aiyuk on the roster, his cap charge for 2026 would hover near $15 mi

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