Although there is hope among football fans in the nation's capital that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk may soon be referred to as Washington Commanders wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, the All-Pro wide receiver continues to make it clear that he believes that playing in the Bay Area is what is best for him, even if there is a financial chasm between the two sides that still needs to be addressed.
“I feel like I’m in the right spot with the right quarterback right now,” Brandon Aiyuk said to Ryan Clark during a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, before hitting Clark with, “but we’re not on the right terms so…”
Brandon Aiyuk trailed off, and that opened the door for Ryan Clark to bring up the Washington Commanders and their rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who spent one season as a teammate of Aiyuk while in college at Arizona State.
“When you’re Face Timing JD (Jayden Daniels) or you’re talking about him being your friend, I know you’ve never demanded a trade but if a trade happens, and that place happens to be Washington, how great would it be to reunite with someone you’re not only close to on the field perspective but in your personal life, like Jayden who is also that talented,” Clark asked. From here, Aiyuk seemed to set a timeline in which a decision could be made on whether or not he'll finally budge and request a trade out of San Francisco.
“I have one more meeting set up with the 49ers we'll see how it goes, if it doesn't go in a direction in which we are hoping for it to go then it would be great to link up with a great friend of mine, a brother, great person, teammate, and player that I feel could take my game to the next level.”
The unfortunate reality for Brandon Aiyuk is that the San Francisco 49ers don't need to bend to his demands. Aiyuk is still under contract with the 49ers through this season, and he could theoretically be franchise tagged in the two seasons that follow. Aiyuk could threaten to hold out until either a new deal is reached or until he's traded, but San Francisco could just as easily call his bluff. But that would only make the situation messier than it already is.
Are we heading toward a reunion in Washington?
Although Brandon Aiyuk and Jayden Daniels spent just one season together as teammates at Arizona State, but the bond they formed while in Tempe has lasted nearly half a decade later. Although it paled in comparison to his 2023 Heisman campaign, Daniels' season as a true freshman at Arizona State set the stage for what was to come in Baton Rouge. In 12 starts, Daniels completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,943 yards and 17 touchdowns. In those 12 games with Daniels under center, Aiyuk hauled in 60 catches for 1,141 yards and 7 touchdowns.
The Commanders already added Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz and Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency, and selected tight end Ben Sinnott and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey in the 2024 NFL Draft, bolstering a Washington supporting cast that includes Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Brian Robinson Jr. But with all due respect to each of those Commanders additions, adding Aiyuk would be by far the most impactful move Washington could make in order to ease the growing pains of their rookie quarterback.
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