The Washington Commanders' ongoing links to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk could go on for a while yet. While most around the league are expecting the wide receiver to reunite with close friend Jayden Daniels, the San Francisco 49ers are reportedly in no rush to end this ongoing saga.
And one Niners voice outlined precisely why.
Aiyuk and the Niners will eventually go their separate ways. General manager John Lynch has already stated as much, and the wideout cut off all contact with the club last season. But if Commanders fans were hoping San Francisco would do right by the player and push him to Washington, they might be out of luck.
49ers voice throws doubt on potential Commanders move for Brandon Aiyuk
Greg Haberman, who does radio play-by-play for the Niners, thought San Francisco was biding their time to get something back in return. He'd also heard that another team or two might be willing to gamble on Aiyuk for a seventh-round pick, which would seemingly be good value at this point.
“If they got a seventh-round pick because they waited three months, that would be considered maximizing value. From what I’m hearing, I do think a couple of teams will say, ‘Yeah, I can put him with my quarterback, in my system, and give him a fresh start. What’s a seventh-round pick?’ They’re not going to cut bait with a guy if there’s even a 5% chance he can still bring some value.”
This is a game of chicken. The Commanders won't be giving up draft assets for Aiyuk. It'll be interesting to see if another team takes the plunge, especially with the widespread belief that he is desperate to link up with Daniels in Washington.
The Niners can be as petty as they like with Aiyuk. They owe him absolutely nothing, and if they can get a draft pick before moving on, their chances will be better.
So, the Commanders' signing of Aiyuk is not a foregone conclusion by any stretch of the imagination. The Arizona State product might let other teams know he's simply not interested, even if he gets traded. There is also the contract to factor in, which is off-putting for a player who didn't even play in 2025 due to injury.
But the Niners have all the leverage. For now, at least.
Aiyuk is reportedly working out and wants to play. General manager Adam Peters is also well aware of how much he reportedly wants to join the Commanders. He's got a good relationship with Lynch and others in San Francisco, but they won't be doing him any favors in this situation.
There could be a few twists and turns to come in this soap opera yet. All the Commanders can do is wait.