San Francisco 49ers Brandon Aiyuk 'Wouldn't Mind Playing' for Washington Commanders

San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk is in need of future security, and it may need to come from the Washington Commanders.

David Harrison | Jun 25, 2024

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

When a quarterback like Jayden Daniels has a receiver like Brandon Aiyuk as a best friend it's natural for people to wonder about the Washington Commanders potentially reuniting the two former Arizona State Sun Devils teammates.

And when that receiver is in a contract dispute with the San Francisco 49ers, it becomes clear offseason discussion material, whether the Commanders eventually make the move to add Aiyuk to their roster or not.

The topic took center stage for a moment during a recent episode of NFL Live when former player and analyst Ryan Clark shared some info pertaining to Aiyuk's contract situation and Daniels' less-than-direct involvement in recent developments.

"They're actually meeting with the San Francisco 49ers today. He and his representation, Ryan Williams of Athletes First and Brandon Aiyuk, told us that he wanted to set this meeting up himself," Clark said on Monday. "And when he was sitting with The Pivot (a podcast hosted in part by Clark), he said that he's taking these negotiations personal, that the way that they have negotiated with him, the way that they have told him why he's worth what he's worth, it has touched him, it has affected him. He says he wants to be in San Francisco first but is comfortable playing elsewhere if that's something that the San Francisco 49ers are willing to do via trade. And I will tell you this, when he sat with us, he did not walk into the room alone. First, it was Brandon Aiyuk. Second, it was (Commanders quarterback) Jayden Daniels. I'm not a tea leaf reader, but the way that that sounds is that Brandon Aiyuk wouldn't mind playing in Washington."

San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk may want to play for Washington Commanders

"...the way that that sounds is that Brandon Aiyuk wouldn't mind playing in Washington."
- Ryan Clark, on ESPN's NFL Live

For starters here, there's nothing to read into about Aiyuk and Daniels attending his appearance on a podcast together. The two are known friends and clearly very close. Additionally, of course, Aiyuk, 'wouldn't mind playing in Washington.' What player wouldn't want to play with his best friend?

So there's nothing to see there. But there was something else that caught our attention in the conversation when it became Adam Schefter's turn to speak.

"There were some conversations at one point between the 49ers and the Commanders," Schefter said. "The Commanders were interested, but they decided not to do that deal. And so the 49ers didn't want to move on from Brandon Aiyuk anyway, and I know he spoke with Ryan Clark, 'RC' there, but the fact of the matter is, despite the fact that he said the 49ers don't want him back anymore, that's just not true. They absolutely do want him back. And according to RC, they are meeting today. That meeting will involve the 49ers general manager John Lynch (and) the head coach Kyle Shanahan."

Confirmation that Washington and San Francisco had talks is interesting because if a deal does need to be done this is the pairing a lot of people see making the most sense. And not just because of the Aiyuk and Daniels connection, but the one between Lynch and Commanders general manager Adam Peters as well.

While Schefter discusses the bottom line of the 49ers wanting Aiyuk to stick around, there's also the bottom line of the Commanders planning to build through the NFL Draft. In order to do that they have to keep as much capital as they can, and trading at least two future picks for even a receiver as talented as Aiyuk is compromises that plan.

This isn't a one-year project in Washington, so the smart play for Peters here is to wait until the relationship in California deteriorates to the point he can get Aiyuk over this offseason for pennies on the dollar, or simply wait until next offseason when the 49ers are unlikely to franchise tag the receiver and we can find out if he really wants to play with Daniels once again.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

Published Jun 25, 2024

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has covered the NFL since 2015 as a digital content creator in both written and audio media. He is the host of Locked On Commanders and a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His previous career was as a Military Working Dog Handler for the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.