There is certainly some fatigue surrounding the topic of Brandon Aiyuk potentially being cut by the 49ers and signed by the Commanders — a possibility that has been fed plenty of fuel by Aiyuk himself in the form of non-cryptic social media posts in which he has pretty much dared San Francisco to cut him, and literally danced with delight
as he proclaimed that he would soon be on the Commanders roster.One thing that struck me as I read comments from Commanders fans over the past couple of weeks,
as the social media tempest continued daily, was that every fan — whether that fan thought the team should sign Aiyuk, or whether the fan was dead set against it — seemed to think the answer was obvious and one-sided.
But I felt like I was seeing just about equal numbers of fans on each side of the argument. It felt like the feelings of fans were neither one sided, nor particularly obvious.
So, it seemed to me to be a good time to use a Reacts survey to ‘take the temperature’ of the Hogs Haven members on the question of signing Aiyuk if he is cut by the Niners ahead of training camp.
In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked the question: If the 49ers cut him before training camp, do you WANT the Commanders to sign Brandon Aiyuk?
It turns out that Hogs Haven readers who responded to the survey are split almost in half between ‘yes’ and ‘no’; 50% of respondents answered ‘yes’, though about two-thirds of them qualified it with the caveat that Aiyuk’s contract shouldn’t have any guarantees. On the other side, 45% of respondents offered an unqualified ‘no’ to the idea of Adam Peters inking a deal with Brandon Aiyuk under any circumstances.
Those who oppose adding Aiyuk mostly point to what they perceive as erratic behavior with the 49ers and in his recent social media posts.
Other concerns included his health following a major injury, his age and length of time without playing a competitive football game, his overall conditioning, his ability to mesh with the rest of the team, and his ability to get up to speed on the offense.
Those in favor of signing Aiyuk mostly pointed to the need at the position (and lack of options in the free agent market), his relationship with Jayden Daniels (and sometimes with Adam Peters), and his past history as one of the league’s better receivers.
When the idea of a low- or no-risk contract was added, many commenters expressed a ‘why not?’ attitude towards a high-upside, limited-downside signing.
Veterans report to Commanders training camp in 25 days, so it should be no more than three weeks or so before we find out if the scenario laid out in the survey question is even a possibility. It’s been suggested by many commentators that Aiyuk can force the situation by applying for reinstatement and showing up to the 49ers training camp, where he would undoubtedly be unwelcome.
But training camp is not the only potential pressure point looming ahead. Aiyuk’s contract has a substantial option payment of nearly $25 million due on September 1st if he is still with the Niners. I’m not sure if they are obligated to pay that money if he is still on the ‘left squad’ list, but many others have pointed to that as another key deadline in the standoff between Aiyuk and his current team.
But, what will the Commanders actually do?
Washington’s front office and coaches have been mute on the question of Aiyuk signing with the Commanders because of the NFL’s strict tampering rules. Even Jayden Daniels, on the one occasion this offseason that he was asked for comment, demurred, saying, “I don’t have a sense on it. That’s my brother and we have a personal relationship, but his football future is out of my control.”
So, what will happen when the 49ers inevitably part ways with No. 11?
Nicki Jhabvala of the Athletic wrote about the Brandon Aiyuk situation earlier this week:
Here’s what I can tell you: I know that earlier in the offseason, the Commanders were interested in him to the extent that they would consider a one-year, highly incentivized deal if and when the San Francisco 49ers ever release him. Jayden Daniels is obviously close with the 28-year-old receiver, and general manager Adam Peters was a part of San Francisco’s front office when it drafted Aiyuk in 2020. So they know what Aiyuk was at his peak.
The Commanders were not going to trade for him, though.
The thinking was that if Aiyuk played anywhere close to the level he did a few years ago, then the Commanders would have two excellent receivers with him and Terry McLaurin, with depth and speed behind them. If things went south with Aiyuk, the Commanders could get out at no real cost.
But this was before the erratic Instagram rants that have created worry about Aiyuk’s frame of mind. What was once a seemingly minimal-risk option now appears more concerning.
If the 49ers do release Aiyuk before the start of training camp, the Commanders could still consider him. But they’d have to feel incredibly confident that he’s fit, physically and emotionally, to not just sign, but be committed to what they’re trying to build. That’s a big “if” given his recent history and the fallout with the 49ers.
Then there’s the physical component. His talent a few years ago may not have been in question, but his ability to play at that level now certainly is; the last time he was active was in Week 7 of the 2024 season. That was more than 20 months ago.
Aiyuk had not been working with his former agent, Ryan Williams, for quite some time before the paperwork was officially filed on Saturday to terminate their agreement, according to league sources. (It’s worth noting that either the player or the agent could file the necessary paperwork with the NFL Players Association and it’s not clear which one did in this case.) But no matter: Aiyuk is still under contract with the 49ers.
There’s a lot to unpack and plenty of reason for the Commanders to have trepidation in taking him on, if there’s still interest. He has seemed to achieve what he wants by drawing headline after headline with his social media posts, but the long-term prospects of a return no longer seem as promising.
So, if I read her written response correctly, Jhabvala is confident that earlier in the calendar year, the Commanders were interested in a “highly incentivized deal” with Aiyuk if he became available, but she now speculates that the Commanders might feel some “trepidation” about signing him. She suggests that “prospects…no longer seem as promising”.
To my eye, the first part of that — the earlier conditional Commanders interest in Aiyuk — looks like reporting of a situation about which she had some specific information. The latter part — about a possible change in attitude — appears to be Nicki Jhabvala trying to read the tea leaves and make a guess based on her own knowledge of the situation, without the benefit of any specific information from the team.
Which seems to leave us where we’ve been for quite a while now: wait and see.
