Andrew Buller-Russ
Now that the 2026 NFL Draft is over, teams can continue filling out their roster with undrafted free agent signees and other veterans who still haven’t signed a contract for the upcoming season. That includes the Washington Commanders, who entered the three-day event with a total of just six selections.
As expected, the Commanders still have some needs to address after a disastrous 2025 season that ended with just five wins. Yet, as all teams do, the Commanders have a list of players they’d like to add to the roster.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Commanders have “significant interest” in signing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers.
The issue is, the 49ers haven’t released Aiyuk. San Francisco’s front office strongly prefers to trade the two-time 1,000-yard receiver. Yet, to this point, no one has wanted to offer anything of value for the 28-year-old who wasn’t able to play a single snap last season due to a knee injury.
It also doesn’t help that Aiyuk is in just year two of a four-year, $120 million contract. Teams first want Aiyuk to be able to prove he’s healthy before taking on a $13.6 mulllion cap hit for a player who wasn’t available last season.
Thus, teams seem to be playing the waiting game, hoping the 49ers will feel like they have no choice but to release a player who finished as a second-team All-Pro in 2023. Meanwhile, the Commanders were a popular choice to address the receiver position in the first round of the NFL Draft. Yet, Washington opted to wait until the 71st overall pick to add a pass-catcher, plucking Clemson’s Antonio Williams instead.
While Williams is sure to compete for immediate playing time, the Commanders may still want to target another player with star potential, and Aiyuk certainly fits the bill. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that he’d be reconnecting with his Arizona State college QB Jayden Daniels, in Washington.
Related: 6 Best 2026 NFL Draft Classes, including Bills and Browns
