The San Francisco 49ers want to have Brandon Aiyuk catching passes for them next season. However, the two have yet to come to a long-term contract. Aiyuk has been vocal about the situation and named the Washington Commanders as a place he’d like to play if he can’t get a new deal, adding optimism that they could pair him with rookie Jayden Daniels.
Daniels and Aiyuk played together at Arizona State, so there’s a connection between the two. Any trade for Aiyuk would likely be expensive, but that’s the price the Commanders would have to pay for the All-Pro.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports proposed a three-team deal with the Commanders, 49ers, and Denver Broncos. The deal would send Aiyuk to the Commanders and help the 49ers replace him.
Broncos would get: Jamison Crowder, 2025 third-round pick (Washington)
Commanders would get: Aiyuk
49ers would get: Courtland Sutton, 2025 second-round pick (Washington)
“Let’s get funky, eh? Denver is in a bit of a contract bind of its own, with Sutton contemplating a training-camp holdout as he seeks a pay raise entering Year 7,” Benjamin wrote on July 9. “While Sean Payton may not prefer to part with his club’s most accomplished wideout, he could also use more resources for the long-term build around rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
“Crowder is aging, but his reliability as a possession target would probably appeal to Payton’s eye for efficiency. San Francisco, meanwhile, would essentially be renting a proven downfield starter in Sutton while also recouping a second-rounder by shipping Aiyuk to Washington.”
How This Trade Could Benefit the Commanders
A deal that’d send the San Francisco 49ers a replacement for Aiyuk might be the best possible scenario for the Washington Commanders. After losing 25-22 in the Super Bowl last season to the Kansas City Chiefs, the 49ers have an opportunity to return with a similar roster.
Aiyuk was a big part of that team, so losing him and not replacing him would hurt their chances of doing so.
Sutton is set to make $13 million in 2024 and is under contract for the next two seasons. Randy Mueller of The Athletic wrote that he expects Aiyuk to land a contract for $30 million annually, which would be more than double what Sutton is being paid.
“Ultimately, I expect Aiyuk would sign for around $30 million to $32 million annually with about $50 million fully guaranteed,” Mueller wrote on June 27.
Aiyuk has statistically been the better player, as Sutton posted 772 yards on 59 receptions compared to Aiyuk’s 1,342 yards on 75 receptions. However, in this scenario, the Commanders would have to hope that the 49ers go with the cheaper route and wouldn’t mind moving the 26-year-old.
Aiyuk Would Give Daniels a WR1
The Washington Commanders drafted Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, hoping that he’d eventually be their franchise quarterback.
The Commanders’ offense finished below average in nearly every major statistic, finishing 25th in points per game, 24th in yards per game, and 19th in passing yards.
They lost Curtis Samuel in free agency to the Buffalo Bills but will return lead receiver Terry McLaurin, who posted 1,002 yards. However, Samuel had the second most receiving yards on the team with 613, and only one other player finished with more than 500.
Giving a rookie quarterback McLaurin and replacing Samuel with Aiyuk should help him as he navigates his first NFL season. It’d also show the players that they plan on trying to compete in 2024.
