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Will the 49ers Trade Brandon Aiyuk to the Washington Commanders?

It seems like Washington should be more motivated to trade for Aiyuk than the Steelers because Pittsburgh doesn't have a quarterback yet.

Grant Cohn

Dec 31, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the second half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the second half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
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The trade market for Brandon Aiyuk could be heating up as preseason comes to a close.

The Washington commanders just traded their no. 2 receiver, Jahan Dotson, and a fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a third-round pick and two seventh-round picks. Which means the Commanders currently have Terry McLaurin and a bunch of nobodies at wide receiver. Is it possible they'll make 49ers a trade offer for Aiyuk?

Keep in mind, Aiyuk listed the Commanders as one of two teams to which he would accept a trade. The other team is the Steelers.

If the 49ers intend to trade Aiyuk, it would make sense for them to wait until just before the season starts so they can get the best trade package possible. Maybe they can get the Steelers and Commanders to bid against each other.

The Commanders suddenly seem desperate for a wide receiver. They just spent the no. 2 pick in the draft on quarterback Jayden Daniels and they need to give him as many weapons as possible while he's cheap. Because they can afford Aiyuk while Daniels is on his rookie deal. And those two went to Arizona State together. They already have chemistry.

It seems like Washington should be more motivated to trade for Aiyuk than the Steelers because Pittsburgh doesn't have a quarterback yet. They need to figure out that position before they trade for a wide receiver and give him nearly $30 million per season. Justin Fields and Russell Wilson won't maximize that investment.

Of course, the 49ers simply could cave to Aiyuk's wishes and give him the contract extension he wants. But why do that when they have to extend Brock Purdy's contract next offseason and they just drafted a rookie wide receiver in Jacob Cowing who's cheap and explosive?

Stay tuned.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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