All offseason long, the expectation has been that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk would eventually land with the Washington Commanders.
The connection has been an easy one to make. Not only do the Commanders have a need at wide receiver, but Aiyuk is very familiar with quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was Aiyuk's teammate at Arizona State.
And there have been reports suggesting Aiyuk and Washington would pair up once the Niners cut him, which once seemed like a foregone conclusion after general manager John Lynch said Aiyuk had played his last snap with the team.
However, a major wrench has been thrown into those plans, as the Niners have not released Aiyuk like everyone expected and instead head coach Kyle Shanahan is making it clear San Fran wants to trade the wideout, and isn't in a rush to do so.
"I don't have a date for it, but I know eventually it'll resolve itself," Shanahan said, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "Hopefully, we could get something for [him]. And I know we're in no rush to do that."
This is obviously bad news for the Commanders, who reportedly have zero interest in giving up draft capital for Aiyuk, which is understandable given the uncertainty surrounding the veteran wideout and Washington's lack of draft capital in 2026.
Commanders' rumored Brandon Aiyuk approach
As we continue to wait for a resolution with Aiyuk, the Commanders are approaching this situation the right way.
According to ESPN's John Keim, he reiterates the Commanders will not trade for Aiyuk while also noting Washington is not simply going to sit around and wait for Aiyuk with such a glaring need at the position.
"But Brandon Aiyuk remains a possibility. The Commanders won't trade for him, knowing the 49ers likely will cut him at some point. But multiple Commanders sources made it clear they're not going to just wait on him and bypass other potential options," Keim reported.
The problem for the Commanders is those potential options have dwindled with the team's lack of significant action at the position in free agency despite having the second-most cap space in the NFL.
Of course, the Commanders could use one of their draft picks to add a wideout, but the team still needs to add a veteran even if that's the case.
Among the top options still available are Stefon Diggs, Jauan Jennings, DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen. Tyreek Hill is also floating around out there but it remains to be seen when he's going to be recovered from his knee injury.
At this point, the Commanders have to operate like Aiyuk isn't coming, and they certainly can't depend on him to be the WR2 behind Terry McLaurin.
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