Could the Commanders actually pull off a trade for 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk?
It's officially the dead period in the NFL, so any heavily-rumored stories that were making headlines before this week are really making headlines, now, along with anything related.One such story has reached the DMV, as Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels became involved in San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's saga on Monday. The star […]
It's officially the dead period in the NFL, so any heavily-rumored stories that were making headlines before this week are really making headlines, now, along with anything related.
One such story has reached the DMV, as Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels became involved in San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's saga on Monday. The star wideout has been the target of trade rumors due to his contract situation. He's entering the final year of his rookie deal and wants an extension reflecting the numbers he's produced, thus far.
The two former college teammates were talking via FaceTime (it was published on TikTok) and Aiyuk told Daniels the 49ers told him they "don't want" him back, immediately prompting the question of whether the comment is in reference to 2024 or after. The comment was refuted by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who said the 49ers want Aiyuk, but it's gotta be at the right price. And, reportedly, Aiyuk wants money akin to what Detroit Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown received, which is $28 million per year.
"They do want him. They just want him at their price. It is not a negotiation to my knowledge that has been completely dead. They just have not done a deal yet and it's pretty clear that Brandon Aiyuk wants the kind of money that Amon-Ra St. Brown ended up making, about $28 million average over the first three years of his deal, the 49ers are not there yet. They like him. They really like him. They just have not been able to come together on a deal so maybe that's kind of the feeling that Brandon Aiyuk was trying to give out."
Could the Commanders pull off a trade for Aiyuk?
Real quick: The above video seems manufactured and calculated on Aiyuk's part. It's obviously an innocuous part of the negotiation process, but it's almost 100% guaranteed scripted and made up.
Getting back to the question, though, of course the Commanders could pull off a trade. It would make a lot of sense, too, as the team needs a viable option next to Terry McLaurin. The duo of McLaurin and Aiyuk would immediately become a top-5 receiving tandem and Daniels' would only benefit from it, as well. The Commanders also don't have a lot of depth at wide receiver. Adding Aiyuk would help with that.
The team has the cap space to pay Aiyuk and it has the draft capital to use, as well. And of course, there are the previous relationships with GM Adam Peters and Daniels.
It could even include, let's say, Jonathan Allen in the trade. He would make a lot of sense for the 9ers, who could use another defensive tackle after trading away Arik Armstead. His $15.5 million salary would actually only take a little more than $1.3 million off of the 2024 salary cap, since Aiyuk's salary would come off the books. Allen costs $16.5 million in 2025, which could be manipulated via void years or even an extension since it's all cash, too.
Side note: I personally don't think the Commanders would trade Allen. The above is purely a hypothetical, but it does make sense, ultimately.
With this, comes three questions that would need to be answered on the Commanders' end:
- What becomes of Jahan Dotson?
- Can the Commanders afford to part ways with a high draft pick (or picks) at this point in the rebuild?
- Can Aiyuk and McLaurin coexist?
1. Jahan Dotson
Dotson has played over 500 snaps in the slot during his first two years in the league, which includes a career-high 358, last year. He can play either inside or outside and guess what? Aiyuk can play inside, too.
Couple that with the fact that the receivers have to basically learn each position in Kliff Kingsbury's offense and it's easy to see why figuring out a plan for Dotson won't be too much of a challenge.
"The unique part about our offense is, I don't think, necessarily, you play the X or the Z, because [depending on] the field formation or the hash, you can be the opposite," McLaurin told reporters during minicamp. "You could be the X, but then, you're to the field, [so] now you're the Z. So you have to really learn the entire concept and know where you're out on the field. Which I think, makes everybody smarter players…
"… He's [Kingsbury's] really trying to create an offense that fits our personnel really well."
2. Is it too early for this type of move?
No. Hell no. It is definitely not.
Acquiring Aiyuk, without a player involved, will very likely take a first-rounder, at minimum. Just look at this way: Either you can acquire a proven guy like Aiyuk and pay him or you can roll the dice on a rookie. And, you don't officially know where you're going to pick with that first-rounder, no matter who the team is. I'm sure the Cardinals thought they'd be getting a top-10 pick when they acquired the Texans' 2024 first-rounder back in 2023, but that ended up being the 26th overall pick.
It makes too much sense to get the proven commodity. Especially when your QB is on a rookie deal.
3. The McLaurin-Aiyuk dynamic
Yes, these two can coexist, easily. However, it's important to note Aiyuk's current position in the 9ers' offense, which is the fourth target behind Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. The team also drafted Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, so there's that.
But, obviously, being second -or even first- in the pecking order is a much better position than fourth. McLaurin is the ultimate pro and teammate, as well, so it would be a surprise if he had a problem with Aiyuk receiving more attention in the form of targets.
Overall, this could work and it would be a surprise if it didn't.
