Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, San Francisco 49ers fans assumed they would receive a notification that Brandon Aiyuk was traded for one return or another.
Once considered a more vital part of Kyle Shanahan’s offense than Deebo Samuel, Aiyuk and the 49ers officially began divorce proceedings in 2025 after the Arizona State product stopped reporting for rehab on his knee, prompting the team to cite irreconcilable differences and prepare for his eventual exit.
And yet, Round 1 passed, as did Day 2, and by the time the draft rolled into the 200s, fans openly wondered why Aiyuk was still a member of the 49ers. Fortunately, NFL Networks’ Ian Rapoport swooped in with some extra info on the situation, noting that a stalemate of sorts has formed between the 49ers and the Commanders, who want to add Aiyuk but don’t want to give up anything of value for him.
“Let’s talk about Brandon Aiyuk, because obviously that is going to be a receiver that’s going to be in the news over the next several months. The 49ers have already been very, very clear. He is not going to play for them. Due $27 million in salary, none of it is guaranteed, mostly because they took away his guaranteed for stopping showing up to rehab earlier this year. They are expected to release him. They just haven’t done it yet,” Rapoport explained.
“What the 49ers would like to do is trade him. The Washington Commanders are expected to have interest. I would say significant interest, but they don’t want to make a move for him because they know that the 49ers are going to release him, and the 49ers don’t want to release him because they believe the commanders want him and would potentially trade for him, which is why we’re in this situation right now. My belief eventually is that Aiyuk will be playing with his good friend Jayden Daniels for the commanders, but how and when it actually happens will probably be something we are discussing for the rest of this.”
With the friendship between Aiyuk and Daniels well documented, it makes sense that the 49ers would want to get something back for their one-time star receiver after handing him a $120 million extension that produced very little in the form of on-field value from the Commanders. Whether that happens, however, remains to be seen, as the Commanders appear confident they will get their guy without having to pay anything but his next salary.
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