The Washington Commanders remain strongly linked with a move for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Just when he will be officially available is anyone's guess, but all signs point to a little later in the offseason rather than in the near future.
General manager John Lynch was stung by his broken relationship with Aiyuk. He could release him with a post-June 1 designation now, but he's holding out for a potential trade offer. Whether that's doing right by the team, being petty, or a little bit of both is debatable, but it's a waiting game for the Commanders.
There is one way the Commanders can speed up the process. However, one team insider poured cold water on the possibility.
Commanders are reportedly unlikely to make a trade offer for Brandon Aiyuk
ESPN's John Keim doubled down, citing multiple team sources, by revealing the Commanders know how much Aiyuk wants to reunite with close friend Jayden Daniels. Even so, the longtime beat writer didn't believe general manager Adam Peters would be sacrificing draft capital in a trade.
"One intriguing name could be San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk. Multiple team sources said Washington is well aware of Aiyuk's desire to play with Daniels. But Aiyuk remains under contract and the Commanders would be unlikely to trade for him or, when free, sign him to anything other than a one-year, prove-it deal."
This is smart. There is no need to force the issue if Aiyuk has his heart set on coming to Washington. Lynch may wait until the last minute before confirming the inevitable, but the final outcome is a foregone conclusion at this point.
It's unlikely a team would trade for Aiyuk and take on his contract. He missed the entire 2025 campaign due to injury, and his actions in recent months are another reason for skepticism. And if he wants to play in Washington, the 2020 first-round pick out of Arizona State can make things uncomfortable if another team acquires him.
Lynch is trying to save face. The Niners should never have extended Aiyuk in the first place. He's wanted to link up with Daniels from the moment Washington took him No. 2 overall in 2024. This has become personal, but cooler heads should prevail in the end.
The Commanders have the financial resources to take on Aiyuk's current contract and throw their seventh-rounder in 2027 to San Francisco. But in all honesty, there is probably no need.
The Niners think they have all the leverage. At the same time, they've already laid their cards on the table by saying Aiyuk won't play for the club again.
It's that simple, and everyone is well aware of what will probably come next when Aiyuk and San Francisco go their separate ways.