Stribling can be what Aiyuk wasn't, Smith tells 49ers fans
De'Zhaun Stribling is drawing Steve Smith Sr.'s praise as the San Francisco 49ers' long-term wideout answer while Brandon Aiyuk's locker stall has been removed and his return looks unlikely. The rookie is not a comeback story—Aiyuk is—and Stribling's early preseason buzz is why the focus has shifted.
Key Takeaways
- The 49ers have removed Brandon Aiyuk's locker stall; he remains under contract on the Reserve/Left Squad list.
- Ex-NFL receiver Steve Smith Sr. says stribling has the highest ceiling in San Francisco's receiver room.
- Smith called Stribling what the team hoped Aiyuk would become, with more "mental bandwidth."
- Stribling caught seven of eight targets for 63 yards in his NFL preseason debut against the Titans.
- Aiyuk has not played since a serious right knee injury in October 2024 and is not a comeback-player candidate yet.
That locker change, reported via David Lombardi and summarized by RotoBaller, is a visible marker of a relationship that has been drifting toward a split for months. Aiyuk is still on the books, but general manager John Lynch said in January it was safe to say the 28-year-old had played his final snap for the team. For more forward-looking coverage across the site, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.
What happened to Brandon Aiyuk's 49ers status?
Aiyuk's stall had stayed up even after he left the squad late last season. It is now gone. Nothing has officially changed: he remains under contract and on Reserve/Left Squad.
San Francisco voided his guaranteed money for 2026 last year. He has not appeared in a game since that October 2024 knee injury and missed all of last season. Until the stalemate is resolved, there is little reason to expect him back on the field for San Francisco—or to put him in any Comeback Player of the Year conversation yet.
Why is Stribling being compared to Aiyuk now?
Per Niners Wire, Smith singled out the rookie as the player with the highest ceiling in the group—higher, in his view, than the veterans Kyle Shanahan signed this offseason.
"I think they just found their soon-to-be best route runner when Kyle Shanahan gets him for the next couple of years," Smith said. He added: "He is what they were hoping Brandon Aiyuk can be, but he has a little bit more of the mental bandwidth."
Aiyuk was a 2020 first-rounder with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023 before a post-2023 holdout, the 2024 ACL tear, a 2025 rift, and a 2026 social media foodfight. He will likely never play for the 49ers again.
Can Stribling step into a No. 1 role soon?
Stribling was the No. 33 overall pick—a second-round selection that surprised some evaluators. At least one team, including the Los Angeles Rams, reportedly had him among the top receivers in the class.
His path ran through Washington State (2021–22), Oklahoma State (2023–24), and Ole Miss (2025), where he caught 55 passes for 811 yards and six touchdowns under Lane Kiffin. In his preseason debut versus Tennessee, he hauled in seven of eight targets for 63 yards, including a 32-yard third-down conversion.
A crowded room with Mike Evans, Christian Kirk, and Deebo Samuel could limit snaps as a rookie. Still, Smith's read is clear: Stribling is the future the club hoped Aiyuk would become.