Following a disappointing season, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters addressed several areas he has heard criticism for. Some of the team's biggest weaknesses suddenly had answers.
This was especially true at edge rusher with Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson both aboard. Leo Chenal arrived to provide stability at middle linebacker. Nick Cross and Amick Robertson help shore up the secondary.
Still, apart from tailbacks Rachad White and Jerome Ford and tight end Chig Okonkwo, Washington hasn't done much to address an offense that averaged 7.6 fewer points per game than last year.
One area that could still use a boost is at wide receiver, where Deebo Samuel has seen his contract expire. The Commanders have signed both Van Jefferson and Dymie Brown, but neither of them solve what the team didn't have last season.
Another prospect the Commanders have been linked with on multiple occasions is former second-team All-Pro Brandon Aiyuk. Nevertheless, he is still under contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
ESPN's John Keim takes it a step further, reporting that the Commanders are "well aware" of Aiyuk's "desire" to play with his college quarterback Jayden Daniels. But this is not so easy.
"An interesting name could be San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk," Keim wrote. "Multiple team sources said Washington is well aware of Aiyuk's desire to play alongside Daniels. But Aiyuk is still under contract and the Commanders would be unlikely to trade for him or sign him to anything other than a one-year prove-it deal when he becomes free."
The 49ers are essentially playing hardball here, knowing that Aiyuk and Commander will be trying to unify. Still, while we've seen teams hesitant to release past stars like Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray, or Tyreek Hill, the 49ers are unwilling to do the same with Aiyuk. As yet.
Meanwhile, the Commanders are apparently unwilling to trade anything of real value for a player who missed the entire 2025 season due to a knee injury. It doesn't help that Aiyuk still has three seasons left on his four-year, $120 million contract.
Obviously, the Commanders don't want to pay that price for a player who has had 374 yards and zero touchdowns the last two years. The 49ers also do not want to release Aiyuk outright. If so, they would face $29.5 million in dead cap fees.
Thus, unless the 49ers or the commanders back down from their stance or perhaps meet in the middle, it doesn't look like this situation is going anywhere in the near future. As a result, commanders may find they have no choice but to make other plans at the receiver position.
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