Despite still being under contract with the San Francisco 49ers, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk continues to make it known where he’d rather be: with the Washington Commanders.
Aiyuk has made social media posts in recent weeks that have ripped the 49ers and praised the Commanders, the team he’d like to end up with if San Francisco actually cuts him.
On Wednesday afternoon, Aiyuk was at it again on Instagram, where he posted a video of himself holding a football with the Commanders logo on it.
He also included a caption that said the following:
“The best sport in the world. The best league in the world (and) the best team in the world.”
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Aiyuk’s Instagram story also included an old photo of Deion Sanders in a Washington uniform.
Aiyuk has been trying his best to get the Niners to release him, but San Francisco simply refuses to budge.
Why 49ers haven’t released Brandon Aiyuk
The Niners and Aiyuk have been at odds for quite some time now, yet the Niners have not released him, even after voiding his contract guarantees.
It appears San Francisco prefers to hold on to Aiyuk in the hopes of working out a trade to at least get something for the mercurial wideout.
“I don’t have a date for it, but I know eventually it’ll resolve itself,” Shanahan said in March. “Hopefully, we could get something for [him]. And I know we’re in no rush to do that. You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners, and you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can get something for that, and it’ll take care of itself.”
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Because of his erratic behavior that includes a warrant being issued for his arrest because of an alleged traffic violation, and because he hasn’t played a single NFL snap since 2024 after suffering a torn ACL that year, Aiyuk is not going to fetch much in a trade.
In fact, at this point, the best the 49ers can hope for is a seventh-round pick.
However, with teams seeing that this relationship is clearly heading toward a release, and with teams knowing Aiyuk has a preferred destination, it remains to be seen if any squad would even be willing to give up a seventh-rounder.
Aiyuk’s connections to Commanders
The expectation, according to reports, has been that Aiyuk will indeed land in Washington once he’s set free.
Aiyuk is quite familiar with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was his college teammate at Arizona State.
Washington general manager Adam Peters knows Aiyuk well, also, as he was the Niners’ vice president of player personnel from 2017-2020 before becoming the assistant general manager from 2021-2023. The 49ers drafted Aiyuk in 2020.
It isn’t just about connections, though. Washington has a need at wide receiver and can offer Aiyuk a sizeable role in the offense.
