Getty Brandon Aiyuk runs with the ball against the Packers.
The Washington Commanders completely revamped their roster this offseason, making moves to better the team after going 4-13 last season. Highlighted by drafting Jayden Daniels and hiring Dan Quinn, the hope and expectation is for the Commanders to be a better team this offseason. Looking to add more talent, Louie Tee of Bleacher Report proposed a deal that’d send San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk to the Commanders for a future first-round pick and Dyami Brown.
Commanders would get: Aiyuk
49ers would get: Future first-round pick, Brown
“Adding a guy like Aiyuk, coming off a career year. At his age, with this group, I think a lot of fans would be intrigued by the prospects of doing that,” Tee said on May 21. “That’s one of the positions Washington needs a ton of help at.”
Trading for Aiyuk would give the Commanders someone with Washington ties, as general manager Adam Peters was a part of the 49ers front office that drafted him in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.
“All you have to do is connect the dots to make this one rational, right? Brandon Aiyuk plays for the San Francisco 49ers,” Tee said. “Washington’s general manager, Adam Peters, came from San Francisco.
“He was a part of the brain trust that decided that Brandon Aiyuk was worth trading back up into the first round, 25th overall, to select, and he’s now gotten to the point of his career where he’s kind of proven that was a prudent trade and he’s yielded them massive dividends on them coming up back into the first round to select him.”
Brandon Aiyuk Contract Update
The reason Aiyuk is a trade candidate is due to his contract situation. He’s looking for a long-term deal but heading into June, the San Francisco 49ers and him have yet to come to an agreement on a deal.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the 49ers and Aiyuk aren’t close to a long term deal.
“If the 49ers at some point realize, well, we can’t get this thing done, does he push their hand and say, well look, either it’s a contract or get me out of here,” Garafolo said on May 21. “We’re not there, there hasn’t been a trade request…Every sense that I’ve gotten from speaking to folks familiar with the progress of the talks is that they’re not close at this point.”
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The Washington Commanders could fit exactly what Aiyuk is looking for as they’d also be able to pay him. According to Spotrac, his market value is a four-year, $106 million contract, which is an annual average contract of $26.5 million.
How Aiyuk Would Help the Washington Commanders
Daniels and Aiyuk played with each other pre-COVID in college when both players were on the Arizona State Sun Devils. Outside of already having familiarity with the hopeful Washington Commanders franchise quarterback, he’s coming off a season where he posted 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns.
In the season prior, he put up 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns.
Adding him to a wide receiver core that only had one player with over 518 yards last season would be a big help. The Commanders lost Curtis Samuel in free agency to the Buffalo Bills, making the wide receiver position an even bigger need heading into the season.
Aiyuk would have the opportunity to be the WR1 and pairing him with Terry McLaurin could be a big help to this Commanders offense.