While the Los Angeles Chargers' top priorities in the early weeks of their offseason have been the searches to replace offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was fired two days after the Bolts' Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots, and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who's now the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, the full focus of the organization will soon turn to player personnel.
And the Chargers will certainly have plenty of decisions to make to that end, as they have close to 30 players set to enter some sort of free agency, which is the main reason why they're currently projected by Over The Cap to have the third-most salary cap space for 2026 at just over $80.56 million.
Some of that cash, of course, will be used to re-sign some names on that aforementioned list, but another portion of it will obviously be reserved for bringing in some external help. And the Bolts could add some of that external help in wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who's expected to be released by the San Francisco 49ers in the very near future.
The Chargers could conceivably sign Brandon Aiyuk to a one-year deal
Aiyuk, of course, hasn't taken the field since tearing the ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his right knee in Week 7 of the 2024 season. But as the 2023 Second-Team All-Pro reportedly skipped several rehab sessions and basically cut off all communication with the team, the 49ers voided the guaranteed money on his contract for the 2026 season.
In his end-of-the-season press conference last week, San Francisco general manager John Lynch told the media that "it's safe to say [Aiyuk has] played his last snap with the Niners."
In the aftermath of that presser, Bleacher Report's Moe Moton compiled a list of five possible landing spots for the 27-year-old, one of which was the Chargers, making sure to note that Aiyuk spent the first two seasons of his career alongside Mike McDaniel, who is in line to become the Bolts' new OC if he doesn't land one of the remaining head coaching vacancies.
"Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh leads with a no-nonsense approach," Moton wrote. "Someone may have to talk him into stamping an approval on signing Aiyuk, and that could be his new offensive coordinator, Mike McDaniel, who worked with the receiver for two years in San Francisco.
"McDaniel saw Aiyuk's early development up close in the Bay Area. With his knowledge of the receiver's strengths, the Chargers may want to bring in someone familiar with their new offense.
"Turning 34 in April, Keenan Allen is on an expiring contract. The Chargers can replace him with Aiyuk, who would join Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston for a strong three-receiver set, while 2025 second-rounder Tre Harris comes along in a well-rounded group."
The Niners will likely try to trade Aiyuk to avoid taking a significant dead cap hit, but they're unlikely to find any takers, seeing as how he still has more than $85 million in unsecured money remaining on the four-year, $120 million deal he signed ahead of the 2024 season. There's really no incentive to surrender any draft capital for a player who will undoubtedly be released.
Given what just went down with the Niners, Aiyuk may end up having to sign a one-year "prove it" type of deal for the 2026 season. And it certainly won't be for the $30 million he could have gotten. In fact, Spotrac projects him to receive a one-year deal worth $12,293,530, which should be doable for the Chargers if they're interested.
At his best, Aiyuk can put up big numbers, as evidenced by his 2023 All-Pro campaign in which he tallied 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. But the Bolts—or any team, for that matter—would have to decide whether he's worth the potential trouble he could bring with him.