Latest On Brandon Aiyuk & Commanders Interest

ESPN’s Ian Rapoport says people close to Aiyuk, including some currently in the Washington building, are more concerned with making sure Aiyuk is okay than with adding him to the team to play football. 

Rapoport added the idea of signing Aiyuk seems like a long shot right now and listed off several other veteran receivers the Commanders could pursue to address their need at the position.  

The Commanders were believed to be interested in signing Aiyuk when he was released but his behavior this summer has created doubts about that. 

Commanders GM Adam Peters, who was a key part of the front office with the 49ers when Aiyuk was drafted in the first round, was asked in a creative way about whether his social media antics would impact Washington’s interest.

“That’s a good roundabout question,” Peters said via NBC Sports’ JP Finlay. “We look at everything, JP. I mean, it’s a great question, but we do look at everything and, you know, we want to make sure it’s the right player to be in our locker room and our bloodstream and in our culture and, you know, we often, you know, we look at that stuff. I mean, it’s not always the first thing we look at. Obviously, you’re looking at the tape, and you talk to the teams that the players have been on, and how they were in the locker room, the players have played with them, and so on and so forth to make those decisions. But, you know, that’s not usually a huge part of it. Usually.”

It’s been clear for months that the 49ers and Aiyuk have no future together. San Francisco has been holding out for a trade, which also seems extremely unlikely. His guarantees were voided last summer and Aiyuk was placed on the left squad list, so theoretically there’s nothing forcing the 49ers to release him until Aiyuk petitions for reinstatement, at which point he’d be cut before his salary kicked in. 

However, Aiyuk has said he will not be doing any business with the team, including petitioning for reinstatement. He has also fired his agent.

The logical move is to petition for reinstatement and force his way out of San Francisco, but then again, little about Aiyuk’s behavior over the past year or so can be characterized as rational. 

Aiyuk, 28, was a one-year starter at Arizona State and earned first-team All-Pac 12 in his final season. The 49ers traded up with the Vikings to select him with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. 

He signed a four-year, $12,531,342 rookie contract that included a $6,673,703 signing bonus. The 49ers picked up his fifth-year option last year that cost them $14,124,000 fully guaranteed for the 2024 season. 

Aiyuk officially agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension that includes $76 million guaranteed after a lengthy period in which he was nearly traded to the Steelers.

In 2024, Aiyuk appeared in seven games for the 49ers and caught 23 passes for 351 yards receiving and no touchdowns.

We’ll have more on Aiyuk and the Commanders as the news is available.