Washington Commanders No Longer Pursuing San Francisco 49ers Receiver Brandon Aiyuk?

After months of speculation it appears it's time to move on, fully.
Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) runs after a catch against Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks (56) and safety Julian Love (20) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) runs after a catch against Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks (56) and safety Julian Love (20) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

In a story that seems to develop by the minute it appears the possibility of the Washington Commanders acquiring San Francisco 49ers star receiver Brandon Aiyuk have all but disappeared.

While Commanders players enjoyed a well-deserved break from the practice field on Monday speculation and conversation reached an all-time high surrounding the future of Aiyuk.

At the end of it all, however, it appears Washington - who had previously discussed the potential of trading for Aiyuk according to reports - is focusing on the players it currently has in the receiver room.

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San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) runs after a catch against Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks (56) and safety Julian Love (20) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

“The Commanders have removed themselves from trade talks for Aiyuk,” NBC Sports' JP Finlay tweeted Monday night, citing colleague and 49ers beat reporter Matt Maiocco in the posting.

That news came out just hours after NFL Network insiders Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported, "Contract talks remain stalled and it seems more likely that Aiyuk will be traded than work out an extension with San Francisco."

Garafolo also said earlier in the day that, "We’ve not heard Washington and the Commanders bubbling up as of recently, as far as them being one of the top contenders right now.”

We may never know how real the interest was between the Commanders and 49ers, but the intrigue of possibly reuniting Aiyuk with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was largely responsible for driving outside interest in a potential deal. That's because Aiyuk and Daniels were teammates at Arizona State University during the quarterback's freshman season and have remained close friends since.

For now, it appears Daniels will have to make due with a receiver room led by Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, led by offensive cooridnator Kliff Kingsbury who looks early to have tapped into some very creative ways to get the ball into his playmakers hands.

Early signs say Daniels will be just fine.


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David Harrison
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.