49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk hasn’t played in a game since Oct. 20, 2024, when he tore his right ACL, MCL and meniscus in Week 7. The brutal knee injury got here slightly below two months after the 49ers and Aiyuk ended a contract standoff with a four-year, $120MM agreement in August 2024. The move looked reasonable on the time – Aiyuk was a second-team All-Pro in 2023, in spite of everything – but will go down as a dud for San Francisco.
Last July, when the 49ers were displeased with how Aiyuk was handling his rehab, they voided the remaining guarantees on his deal. Aiyuk had a 50-day window to file a grievance through the NFLPA, but he took no motion and lost $26MM.
Adding to an already odd situation, Aiyuk largely stayed away from the 49ers last season. Although general manager John Lynch expressed optimism Aiyuk would return from the reserve/PUP list sooner or later, that ended when the team transferred the wideout to the reserve/left squad list in December. He wound up contributing nothing during a 12-win campaign for the 49ers, who bowed out of the playoffs in a divisional round loss to the Seahawks.
Five months after the 49ers’ season ended, Aiyuk continues to be on their roster. There isn’t a expectation he’ll ever play for them again, but Lynch has held out for a trade that’s unlikely to materalize. There’s likelihood the 49ers will release Aiyuk, who recently took public shots at them on social media, before their veterans report back to training camp on July 25. He will probably be free to sign anywhere once that happens.
Dating to last season, Washington has come up as a possible Aiyuk suitor greater than another team. Commanders general manager Adam Peters was a key member of the 49ers’ front office once they drafted Aiyuk twenty fifth overall in 2020. Peters stayed there through 2023, Aiyuk’s best season. Perhaps more importantly, Aiyuk still has relationship with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels from their time together at Arizona State. Aiyuk took to social media on Sunday and made it clear he desires to reunite with Daniels in Washington.
In an Instagram video, Aiyuk yelled (via ESPN): “Go Commanders! Go Commanders! Go Commanders! Raise Hail! Take Command!”
The 28-year-old also posted an image of then-Washington quarterback Mark Rypien holding up the Lombardi Trophy after beating Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVI in January 1992. Washington has not gotten back to the Super Bowl since then. Whether Aiyuk would improve their odds of doing so this season is debatable, especially after a significant injury and a pair of lost years, nevertheless it is clear he wants the Commanders to take a likelihood on him.
For his or her part, the Commanders may profit from adding Aiyuk or one other starting-caliber receiver to team with clear-cut No. 1 option Terry McLaurin. They’ve over $43.70MM in cap space, giving them loads of room to enhance a receiving corps that also includes Dyami Brown, Treylon Burks, third-round rookie Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane and Van Jefferson.