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The Washington Commanders are one team that’s reportedly keen on San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk. However, the team doesn’t appear willing to trade for the wide receiver and probably wants him as a free agent.
Nonetheless, the Niners don’t want to cut him right now and would prefer to trade him, which is why they are holding onto him. Regardless, the situation is at a standstill, as Aiyuk isn’t trying to force the 49ers into making a decision.
Amid the current situation involving Aiyuk, Commanders QB Jayden Daniels was asked about his close friend and was blunt with his remarks.
“I don’t know, I don’t have a sense on it,” Daniels said (h/t Pro Football Talk). “That is my brother and we have a personal relationship. His football future, that’s out of my control.”
Aiyuk has not played since Week 7 of the 2024 season, and with no clear timeline for anything getting resolved with the 49ers, there is little reason to expect him back on the field anytime soon, whether for the Commanders or any other team.
Is Brandon Aiyuk Staying Away Due to Injury?
Nonetheless, Aiyuk has made his presence known on social media, but he’s yet to show up at the 49ers’ facilities and force the team’s hand in this situation. Moreover, KNBR’s Larry Krueger offered a blunt theory as to why the wideout has yet to show up.
“I think the 49ers are going to play a waiting game, and whenever it is in their best interest to move on, they will release him at the cutdown deadline,” Krueger said on the May 21 edition of “The Krueg Show.” “That is when he will be released. Then I think he will use that, the ‘Niners did me wrong,‘ as an excuse for why he is not ready to go.
“But in reality, he is not ready to go and may never be ready to go. Go look at that injury again; it was severe. General Manager John Lynch described it as catastrophic. It is not just another injury; it is a career-altering injury, and everyone seems to understand that.”
49ers Insider Doesn’t Feel It’s an Injury Situation
Meanwhile, 49ers reporter for The Athletic, Matt Barrows, might not believe that it’s an injury issue. Barrows states that the Niners knew when Aiyuk would return from his injury until the relationship fell off a cliff. As a result, he feels there’s more to the situation that isn’t emerging to the public.
“This idea that he’s done or that he can’t run routes anymore, that his knee is destroyed, that certainly wasn’t what they were saying eight months ago,“ Barrows said during a May 27 appearance on 95.7 The Game.
“They thought he would be back. They thought he would be a contributor, and I think the hope was that he’d be a contributor in the playoffs. But something else happened. No one has gotten to the bottom of it. No one knows why he doesn’t return calls. I don’t think he’s returning calls from the agent.”
It will be interesting to see if Aiyuk forces the 49ers to make a decision or if the team continues to hold the leverage in this situation.
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo