Commanders Day 2 NFL mock draft: Brandon Aiyuk trade edition

Commanders trade for Brandon Aiyuk

It's no secret that Jayden Daniels and Brandon Aiyuk are extremely close. The pair formed an almost unbreakable bond during their time as teammates at Arizona State. It remains strong to this day, with the wide receiver even appearing on the quarterback's Instagram Live after he'd been taken by the Washington Commanders at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Aiyuk is currently at loggerheads with the San Francisco 49ers regarding a new deal. He wants to be paid in keeping with some of the league's best pass-catchers - which he is more than deserving of looking at his recent production. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much money to go around with John Lynch having one eye on the upcoming contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy in 2025.

Reports surfaced about the Niners looking to move Aiyuk and potentially Deebo Samuel in pursuit of surging up in the first round. That didn't come to fruition, but the pot was stirred further when San Francisco drafted wide receiver Ricky Pearsall out of Florida with the No. 31 overall selection.

This only increased speculation about Aiyuk potentially being moved. Time is on the Commanders' side with a full day to potentially engineer a trade if Peters thinks it can help Daniels thrive on and off the field. He's also strongly linked to Lynch after recently leaving the Niners for Washington. This should enable negotiations to go smoothly if a call is made.

The Commanders give up the No. 36 overall selection to secure Aiyuk's services in this scenario. They'd need to sort out a contract extension almost immediately, but the financial means seem to be there looking at the youth across the roster currently.

Washington would have plenty of cash tied up in its wideout room if Aiyuk came into the fold. That said, adding him to a unit that also consists of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson comes with limitless potential attached.