An option play the Commanders should avoid
Aiyuk desperately wants to play in Washington. He sure doesn't seem worth the risk.
Photo by totalsportspro.com
Under normal circumstances, it would make perfect sense for the Washington Commanders to explore the possibility of adding Brandon Aiyuk to their roster. They need receivers, and Aiyuk — if as expected, he becomes available — is one of the most gifted ones out there.
These aren’t normal circumstances, though, and it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the Commanders should stay as far away from Aiyuk as possible.
To begin with, the San Francisco 49ers own Aiyuk’s rights (for now, at least), so Washington can’t do anything without violating the NFL’s tampering rules. But Aiyuk and the Niners seem headed for a high-profile parting of ways, thanks to irreconcilable differences that the player keeps exacerbating.
He clearly wants to play in D.C.; he was a college teammate of Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, and Washington general manager Adam Peters was a member of the 49ers’ front office when they drafted him in 2020. He rewarded the team with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and ’23, and the Niners rewarded him with a four-year, $120 million contract extension in August 2024. If healthy, he’d ideally make a great complement to Terry McLaurin.
But Aiyuk tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee in Week 7 of the 2024 season and hasn’t played since. That would be enough of a red flag, but it’s hardly the biggest concern.
That would be Aiyuk’s ill-conceived social media campaign to get himself released by the 49ers. He has posted several videos criticizing the team, GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan, among others.
On Saturday, he added his agent, Ryan Williams, to that list in a video that also included a vow not to return to the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium — unless it’s with the Commanders, who are scheduled to play there on Oct. 19 of this season.
It’s not exactly a master class in convincing the 49ers to release him — or in persuading the Commanders (or any other team) to sign him if he becomes a free agent. Washington has long been considered his most likely landing spot.
But his health and availability are obviously big concerns, especially for a Washington team that got shortchanged after trading for another high-profield former 49ers receiver, Deebo Samuel. last year. Aiyuk’s attitude may be an even bigger disqualifier.
Let’s be clear: all NFL receivers are no divas. (McLaurin is proof of that.) But it sure seems that most NFL divas are receivers.
Antonio Brown, Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin, Brandon Marshall, Randy Moss, DeSean Jackson. The list goes on and on. Most of them were talented enough that their teams tolerated their self-promotion.
Aiyuk certainly doesn’t seem to fit into that category, at least at the moment. Coming off a 5-12 season, does Commanders coach Dan Quinn want to risk his job (and team chemistry) by bringing in a possible distraction whose availability isn’t certain but whose me-first attitude is?
Every team deals with adversity, and the Commanders are trying to distance themselves from years of self-inflicted troubles. (Does Albert Haynesworth ring a bell?) Who’s to say Aiyuk wouldn’t go ballistic if he’s not getting the ball enough, or if he feels McLaurin is getting it too much?
Aiyuk doesn’t seem to be ingratiating himself with anyone these days. Mark Schlereth, a lineman on Washington’s Super Bowl teams, recently called him “stupid” and said he wouldn’t want “that turd” on his team. Five-time Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry added on a recent podcast: “Man, somebody needs to get that phone from him” and added: “ … It’s not the same Brandon that I know.”
This is a critical season for Quinn and the Commanders, who need to prove that their 2024 run to the NFC title game wasn’t a fluke. They made some modest progress in getting younger and improving their roster through free agency and the draft, especially with first-round pick Sonny Styles.
They might be tempted to take a swing on Aiyuk, especially if Daniels advocated for him. But he’s giving everyone ample reason to say no. Adding him to the roster seems like throwing deep on fourth and inches from your own 20: high risk, low percentage.