Brad Lyons is leaving Kilmarnock after a five-year stint at Rugby Park, bringing an end to a spell that began when he joined the club in 2021. The midfielder made 156 appearances for the Scottish side, scored seven goals and provided four assists.

Kilmarnock confirmed the departure on a day when the club also set out a broad summer clear-out, with 13 players leaving out of contract and three loan players returning to their parent clubs. Lyons had been handed the captaincy at the start of the 2025/26 campaign and went on to make 36 appearances across all competitions before his exit was confirmed.

He arrived from Blackburn after a two-year spell there and became one of the club's longest-serving players over the course of his time at Rugby Park. The retained-list update also includes Robby McCrorie, Lewis Mayo, Matthew Kennedy, David Watson, Kyle Magennis, Bruce Anderson, Marley Watkins, Kian Leslie, Zander Craik, Liam Polworth, Duncan Barlow, Ethan Mersey and Aaron Tshibola, all of whom are leaving out of contract, while Zac Williams, Findlay Curtis and goalkeeper Kelle Roos are returning to their parent clubs after loan spells ended.

The scale of the departures marks a reset for Kilmarnock as it moves into the next phase of squad planning. For Lyons, the numbers tell the story of a player who became a familiar figure at the club and left with the captain's armband, even if the final chapter came sooner than the season's opening suggested.