It looked like the San Francisco 49ers would enter the 2026 NFL draft in prime position to continue building on its foundation of a future Super Bowl contender by replacing one of its aging stars in the first round. Now the drama with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk could throw a massive wrench into those plans.

With left tackle Trent Williams set to turn 38 before next season, it stands to reason the 49ers would be eager to find his replacement. There was some speculation they’d do that in the 2025 draft, but they kicked the can down the road and are reaching the end of the pavement. At some point Williams is going to hang up his pads and the 49ers are likely going to want to use a premium draft pick on his potential replacement.

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They looked set up to do that until the team’s relationship with Aiyuk deteriorated to the point they waived his 2026 guarantees and set the table to release him next offseason. His release would turn the 49ers’ receiving corps into a massive question mark and may force the 49ers to use a first-round pick at wide receiver this year.

An ideal scenario is one where Williams plays out his contract which runs through the 2026 season. In that case the 49ers could select a potential replacement who can learn under Williams for a year before taking over as the full-time starting left tackle. They could still do that, but Aiyuk’s impending exit makes things tricky.

Ricky Pearsall, the 2024 first-round pick, has had a hard time staying on the field since his first training camp last year. Even before getting shot in the chest a week before last season’s opener, he dealt with hamstring and shoulder injuries that robbed him of an entire preseason. This year he hurt his knee in Week 4 and missed six weeks only to come back and have two unproductive games. There are sizable question marks about Pearsall and his ability to hold down the No. 1 spot atop a wide receiver depth chart.

Jauan Jennings, the team’s leading WR in 2024, is due to hit unrestricted free agency and his offseason contract drama this year that stemmed from a disagreement between Jennings and the 49ers on his value portends more of the same this offseason.

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With options below the Jennings-Pearsall duo sparse, the 49ers may not be able to risk waiting until Day 2 or 3 to find a wide receiver. If they want a top-end option who can conceivably become the No. 1 WR in an offense full of aging superstars, they may want to aim for that on Day 1. Doing so would take the Williams dilemma and push it into 2026 where they may not have a viable left tackle under contract entering the offseason.

Perhaps something changes between the team’s Week 14 bye and the 2026 NFL draft, but for now whatever the plan was for the draft will have to get some alterations with one of their foundational pieces set to exit prematurely.

More 49ers: Could 49ers flip Brandon Aiyuk for $140 million WR in a trade?

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 2026 NFL draft: How Brandon Aiyuk saga could change 49ers plans