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How would adding Brandon Aiyuk improve Washington’s offense?

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NFL: NFC Championship-Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve been a fan of Brandon Aiyuk since his days at Arizona State (where he was catching passes from Jayden Daniels). Alas, Ron Rivera had other priorities in the 2020 draft.

The 49ers ended up selecting Aiyuk with the 25th pick in the draft, and over the past four seasons, he’s emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.

Receiving & Rushing Table
Games Receiving Rushing Total Yds
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Tgt Rec Yds Y/R TD 1D Succ% Lng R/G Y/G Ctch% Y/Tgt Att Yds TD 1D Succ% Lng Y/A Y/G A/G Touch Y/Tch YScm RRTD Fmb AV Awards
2020 22 SFO WR 11 12 11 96 60 748 12.5 5 42 57.3 49 5.0 62.3 62.5% 7.8 6 77 2 3 66.7 38 12.8 6.4 0.5 66 12.5 825 7 0 6
2021 23 SFO WR 11 17 16 84 56 826 14.8 5 37 60.7 43 3.3 48.6 66.7% 9.8 5 17 0 0 40.0 8 3.4 1.0 0.3 61 13.8 843 5 2 7
2022 24 SFO WR 11 17 17 114 78 1015 13.0 8 47 59.6 54 4.6 59.7 68.4% 8.9 2 23 0 1 100.0 16 11.5 1.4 0.1 80 13.0 1038 8 1 11
2023 25 SFO WR 11 16 16 105 75 1342 17.9 7 61 70.5 76 4.7 83.9 71.4% 12.8 0 75 17.9 1342 7 1 15 AP2
Career 62 60 399 269 3931 14.6 25 187 62.2 76 4.3 63.4 67.4% 9.9 13 117 2 4 61.5 38 9.0 1.9 0.2 282 14.4 4048 27 4 39
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/17/2024.

In April of 2023, San Francisco picked up Aiyuk’s 5th year option, which ties him to them through the 2024 season, but this offseason there has been a tremendous amount of speculation about whether the 49ers will extend him, or whether they might trade him before losing contractual control of him.

The 49ers are in quite a pinch, with both Deebo Samuel and Aiyuk potentially hitting the market next offseason, and having just used a first round pick on wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in April.

A recent social media post by Aiyuk has added fuel to those simmering embers.

The 49ers may be in no rush to sign Aiyuk, but such is the nature of the NFL’s wide receiver market that delay simply increases the asking price dramatically. The Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, who occupies a similar stratosphere to Aiyuk, signed a $30M+/year deal in April. A day later, AJ Brown signed a $32M/year deal with the Eagles.

Earlier this month, Justin Jefferson – widely considered to be the best WR in the league – was signed to a $35M/year deal. The floor for any Aiyuk extension at this point would likely be $30M/year (he’s slated to receive around $14M as part of his 5th year option this season).

Given the team building strategy that Adam Peters articulated earlier in the year, it’s not clear if Aiyuk would fit into Washington’s plans:

“I find this a very similar situation from when we got to San Francisco in 2017,” Peters said. “A lot of great similarities, so I have a lot to lean on from that experience. Both things we did well and things we didn’t, but ultimately, we’re going to build through the draft here and supplement through free agency. We’re going to be very process driven and diligent in who we select in free agency. But we’re going to build through the draft here.”

That said, give Peters’ prior connection to Aiyuk, Aiyuk’s exemplary skill set, and Washington’s flush salary cap situation, he may be too enticing to pass up.

Currently, the top of Washington’s WR depth chart, based on recent historical production, looks something like this:

  • WR1 – Terry McLaurin
  • WR2 – Jahan Dotson
  • WR3 – Olamide Zaccheaus

If traded for, Aiyuk would immediately shoot to the top of that group, with Terry sliding to WR2 and Jahan filling out the complement of starting wide receivers. The unit as a whole would become a top five WR room in the league, behind only teams like the Texans, Dolphins, and Bengals.

Aiyuk has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the league, and it’s undeniable that he’d give Washington’s young rookie QB a stellar weapon as he adjusts to the pro game.