Andrew Buller-Russ
Like every other team at this point in the offseason, the Washington Commanders‘ roster is mostly set. While there will be a large group of players who find themselves fighting for roster spots, chances are we won’t see any more significant additions to the team.
Yet, one could also argue that the Commanders still have a fairly large need to fill in addressing the team’s wide receiver corps. Terry McLaurin is the unquestioned No. 1 target in D.C., but who steps up to help complement him? That’s what the Commanders will spend the rest of the summer trying to find out.
One potential outcome could still see the Commanders link up with former second-team All-Pro Brandon Aiyuk. While he’s still under contract with the San Francisco 49ers, it’s looking more and more like he’s played his last snap in the Bay Area. The question is, will the 49ers finally admit defeat and release him? Or is there some wild scenario where San Francisco still envisions a team trying to trade for a player entering season two of a four-year, $160 million contract?
Either way, Aiyuk seems to know what he wants to do after the 49ers part ways with him. As everyone has assumed all along, Aiyuk seems to want to reunite with his former college QB Jayden Daniels, and according to the receiver’s latest video, he’s already rooting for the Commanders.
In Aiyuk’s latest Instagram video, he says, “Go Commanders” multiple times.
For months, the NFL’s worst-kept secret was that the Patriots would trade for A.J. Brown. Now, it’s almost like Aiyuk ending up with the Commanders is the NFL’s new worst-kept secret, it’s just a matter of when, and how.
Aiyuk missed the entire 2025 campaign after tearing his ACL, MCL, and meniscus. Once he stopped showing up for knee rehab in San Francisco, the team indicated they were done with him. Yet, he’s still just 28 years old and recorded a 1,342-yard, 7-TD campaign in 2023. In other words, teams like the Commanders are likely still curious if he can turn back the clock and return to being a top receiver again.
Related: 4x Pro Bowler: It’d Be Great to Play for Washington Commanders
