Just months after what was the best season of his young NFL career, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is at the center of what has been the most tumultuous and tense standoff between player and organization this offseason. What started back in April around the NFL Draft, when rumors were rampant that the 49ers were dangling Aiyuk as bait in order to move up in order to select a younger (and cheaper) wide receiver, has now led us to a point where Aiyuk on multiple occasions has spoken quite openly about the rumors. And as expected, he's not too happy about where things currently stand.
On Monday's episode of NFL Live, analyst and former NFL corner back Ryan Clark shared that he's spoken with Aiyuk and noted that Aiyuk had admitted that the contract negotiations and trade rumors have affected him. That same day, ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Aiyuk met with 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday to discuss his future with the organization, giving fans in the Bay Area hope that things could be salvaged and Aiyuk could build on his 2nd Team All-Pro campaign last season. However, Tuesday rolled around and things once again got messy.
In response to a social media post regarding an Adam Schefter report about a proposed trade between the 49ers and the Washington Commanders — one that apparently Washington turned down — Aiyuk quote tweeted the original post, and sarcastically asked “But I thought the 49ers were never tryna trade me,” seemingly taking a shot at Lynch, who back in May told Pat McAfee, “I'm doing everything in my power to keep our roster together and that's my goal.”
Brandon Aiyuk’s response:
𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧: The #49ers and #Commanders talked about a Brandon Aiyuk deal, but Washington decided against doing it, per Adam Schefter
By no means does this indicate that a break-up between Aiyuk and the 49ers is imminent. Each of the last two offseasons, the 49ers have been engaged in public standoffs with stars, and in each case, the two sides have come to an agreement before the season began. To this day, both Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa remain members of the 49ers organization. But given the trade talks with Washington, and considering Aiyuk's relationship with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, perhaps a different outcome is ahead this time around.
Why a 49ers-Commanders trade could work for Brandon Aiyuk
Long before Jayden Daniels transferred to LSU and set Baton Rouge and the college football world on fire during his 2023 Heisman Trophy-winning season, he started his collegiate career with Arizona State, where his primary target was an emerging senior wide receiver by the name of Brandon Aiyuk. During their one season together in Tempe, Aiyuk hauled in 65 receptions for 1,192 yards (2nd in the Pac-12) and 8 touchdowns (4th in the Pac-12).
Jayden Daniels has obviously grown by leaps and bounds since then, as has Aiyuk, who has seen his yardage totals increase each of his first four seasons in the NFL. If the 49ers were to decide to part ways with Aiyuk ahead of the 2024 NFL season, Washington could add him to a nucleus of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and newly signed running back Austin Ekeler, giving Daniels a dynamic group of weapons to assist him as he eases into life in the National Football League.
