The Brandon Aiyuk saga should end soon, right? The San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver has been at odds with the 49ers regarding a new contract extension. San Francisco wants Aiyuk back and has made offers, but Aiyuk, thus far, has been unhappy with what the 49ers have proposed.
Aiyuk has been public in his unhappiness, often using the Washington Commanders to express his displeasure. Aiyuk’s close friend is Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, and the pair have made no secret of their desire to play together in the NFL.
Aiyuk may have stepped over the line in his most recent gesture, though. He shared a photo of a Commanders’ practice with Daniels at quarterback. Was Aiyuk watching Washington practice film with Daniels? Or did Daniels send him a screenshot? Regardless, it wasn’t a great look.
Training camp opens soon. It’s uncertain if Aiyuk will report to camp on time, but it looks increasingly likely he’ll remain with the 49ers.
But if San Francisco grew tired of the Aiyuk saga, what could it receive in a trade for the star wideout? Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently looked at three potential trade packages the Commanders could offer the 49ers to reunite Aiyuk and Daniels.
Here’s a look at Benjamin’s first trade proposal:
- Commanders get: WR Brandon Aiyuk
- 49ers get: 2025 first-round pick
This doesn’t like a deal Washington GM Adam Peters would make. Yes, Aiyuk is a phenomenal player, but the Commanders have Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Luke McCaffrey, so parting with what could be a high first-round pick is probably off the table.
The second proposal:
- Commanders get: WR Brandon Aiyuk
- 49ers get: WR Dyami Brown, 2025 second-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick
This is a feasible offer. While Peters still seems unlikely to part with a second-round pick, he’s not attached to Brown.
The final proposal involves a third team:
- Broncos get: WR Jamison Crowder (Washington), 2025 third-round pick (Washington)
- Commanders get: WR Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco)
- 49ers get: WR Courtland Sutton (Denver), 2025 second-round pick (Washington)
So, essentially, in this proposal, Washington would ship out a pair of Day 2 picks in the 2025 NFL draft to land Aiyuk. That would leave the Commanders with only one pick in the first three rounds.
There is a familiarity with Peters and Aiyuk. If the 49ers trade him, Washington makes sense as a destination, but the Commanders would probably rather see where they are next offseason before trading away valuable draft commodity.