Brandon Aiyuk still believes he will land a move to the Washington Commanders when he is free from his San Francisco 49ers nightmare. That looked almost a done deal to those on the outside looking in earlier this offseason. It's not the case anymore.
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler became the latest to cast doubts on the Commanders' rumored interest in Aiyuk. While he stated that Washington could look at other veteran wideouts to pair with Terry McLaurin, he didn't get the sense it would be the Arizona State product.
"There are several veterans they could take a look at. I don't think that's going to be Brandon Aiyuk at this stage."
It's a risk-versus-reward situation. If Aiyuk had stayed quiet, done things the right way, and waited for things to play out, this was much more feasible. And to be honest, fans should have been on board with the high-risk signing.
Branon Aiyuk's dream of joining the Commanders seems to be fading rapidly
Now? Not so much.
There was no restraint from Aiyuk. It was one bad decision after another during his social media tirade against the Niners. But even then, a large section of Washington fans were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
When Aiyuk turned his attention to quarterback Jayden Daniels — potentially his last ally in the quest to join Washington —that tipped the scales. And not in the wideout's favor.
Most Commanders fans have now turned away from Aiyuk. The same goes for beat writers and radio personalities. The juice is no longer worth the squeeze, and one has to wonder just how well this move would be received if general manager Adam Peters pulled the trigger.
Daniels will have a big say, of course. Just how much of their social media beef was real or not is debatable. The signal-caller is focused on what he can control, working with the options available to him, and making sure everyone is ready to hit the ground running at training camp.
As for Aiyuk? He's still waiting. And he might be doing so for a while longer yet if he remains intent on not applying for reinstatement with the Niners.
The Commanders have other options. They might also be happy enough with what they have. Peters won't disclose anything either way, which is the right way to approach this saga but does nothing to diminish the rumor mill.
The talk around Aiyuk is subsiding after months of uncertainty. Washington could still make a move, but the league is now projecting things to go the other way.
That's on Aiyuk, and nobody else.
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