Brandon Aiyuk’s Washington Dream Fades as Executives Raise Red Flags

The ongoing saga of former 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk continues to deteriorate for the player, with his constant social media posts and bizarre behaviour making NFL executives even more uneasy about signing him, even to a veteran-minimum deal.

Aiyuk badly wants to land with Washington, as SportsBoom has reported, to reunite with general manager Adam Peters, whom he was with in San Francisco, and to play with quarterback Jayden Daniels, who he has a strong relationship from their days playing together at Arizona State.

Scaring Away Potential Suitors

Aiyuk missed all of last season returning from surgery and mired in a battle with the 49ers, whom he helped reach a Super Bowl just a few years ago. 

NFL front offices at this point have serious reservations about Aiyuk being in the right mindset on and off the field to contribute. 

A top executive from a team that has continued to pursue the receiver market told me Aiyuk is not a consideration for him at this point, even on the minimum contract, and the 49ers have long since given up on getting anything in trade.

“I couldn’t bring him into my locker room with my quarterback,” the exec told SportsBoom.us. 

The fact that the Commanders are now distancing themselves from Aiyuk via the media at a time when he is speaking more and more about his desire to come to Washington is not going unnoticed, either. 

Even once the 49ers do officially move on from him, the expectation at this point is that he would have to display a period of time without incident before another team would sign him, and it might require a degree of desperation due to training camp injuries for it to come to pass, if it comes to pass.

 Aiyuk, 28, was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft and posted consecutive 1000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, which led to a big contract extension. However, he has played just seven games since 2023 and has become an increasingly divisive figure in the 49ers' locker room.