Getty San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
One of the preeminent, ongoing dramas of the 2024 NFL offseason has been the contract standoff between the San Francisco 49ers and NFL All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
The saga, which began almost immediately after the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, took a few more interesting twists and turns recently after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on June 25 that trade talks with the Washington Commanders took place.
“Well listen, he played with Jayden Daniels (in college). I’m sure the two would love to get together,” Schefter said on NFL Live. “There were some conversations at one point between the 49ers and the Commanders. The Commanders were interested, but they decided not to do that deal.”
Aiyuk and Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, played together at Arizona State in 2019. Schefter’s report led to Aiyuk responding to a report about the possible trade with the Commanders with a comment on Instagram later in the day.
“But I thought the niners was never tryna trade me?” Aiyuk wrote.
Aiyuk Would Be Major Upgrade for Commanders
It would be interesting to see what the trade package proposal was between the 49ers and Commanders when it came to Aiyuk — because in no universe would it have not been a major upgrade for Washington’s offense.
Aiyuk, 26 years old, was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft (No. 25 overall) and earned NFL All-Pro honors for the first time in 2023 with 75 receptions for 1,342 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. It was Aiyuk’s second consecutive season with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
The Commanders have very little depth at the wide receiver position and Aiyuk would be a step up from even Washington’s most talented pass-catcher in Terry McLaurin, a former NFL All-Pro himself who has four consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
Aiyuk wants the 49ers to make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid wide receivers — a tab that would likely run San Francisco close to $29 million per year. Aiyuk is due to make $14.1 million in 2024 after the 49ers exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
Daniels, Aiyuk Have Special Bond From College
Aiyuk and Daniels have been together quite a bit through the offseason — a bond that extends back to their time at Arizona State.
Aiyuk’s fondness for Daniels probably comes from the fact that their one season together propelled Aiyuk into a first-round pick. In Aiyuk’s first season at Arizona State in 2018, with quarterback Manny Wilkins starting all 13 games, Aiyuk had 33 receptions for 474 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
In 2019, with Daniels starting as a true freshman in 12 games, Aiyuk had 65 receptions for 1,192 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns — part of a total 1,870 all-purpose yards including kick and punt returns.
“(Aiyuk) says he wants to be in San Francisco first but is comfortable playing elsewhere if that’s something that the San Francisco 49ers are willing to do via trade,” ESPN’s Ryan Clark said on June 25. “And I will tell you this, when he sat with us, he did not walk into the room alone. First, it was Brandon Aiyuk. Second, it was (Commanders quarterback) Jayden Daniels. I’m not a tea leaf reader, but the way that that sounds is that Brandon Aiyuk wouldn’t mind playing in Washington.”