Brandon Aiyuk is still a member of the 49ers, but the veteran wideout recently admitted that he has thought about joining forces with the Washington Commanders and their rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels. He’s also listed the Pittsburgh Steelers as another possible option.
“If not a Niners uniform probably a Washington Commanders uniform,” Aiyuk said on “The Pivot” podcast. “If not a Washington Commanders uniform, probably Steelers uniform.”
With Daniels looking on, Aiyuk talked about the possibility of playing with Daniels in Washington if he and the 49ers part ways. Aiyuk is currently slated to play under his fifth-year option this season, but he has made it clear that he wants a contract extension. Aiyuk’s asking price is reportedly the thing that is holding up a possible extension with the 49ers, who have said all along that they want to keep Aiyuk.
“Shit, there’s a quarterback right there,” Aiyuk said while looking in Daniels’ direction. “I’m thinking about what I can do with him. I’m thinking about, if the Niners don’t want me to come back to play with them, I’m thinking about what I can do. I know what I can do.”
This isn’t the first time that Aiyuk has been linked with Daniels and the Commanders. Last week, Aiyuk told Daniels that the 49ers “don’t want me back.” Aiyuk has also made other comments recently about the 49ers not wanting him. He recently responded to a report that stated that the 49ers and Commanders had had discussions regarding a possible trade involving Aiyuk prior to April’s NFL Draft that never gained serious traction.
“But I thought the Niners was never tryna trade me?” Aiyuk wrote on Instagram in regards the report.
Aiyuk has also been linked to the Steelers, who reportedly did engage in trade talks with the 49ers during the draft about acquiring either Aiyuk or fellow wideout Deebo Samuel. While they do have George Pickens, the Steelers are in need of another top-tier wideout after trading former Pro Bowler Diontae Johnson to Carolina earlier this offseason.
Aiyuk did have a meeting on Monday with the 49ers that reportedly went well (via NFL Media), well enough that the 49ers don’t have any plans to trade Aiyuk, the team’s leading receiver the past two seasons. But the fact remains that no extension has been agreed to.
The two sides were reportedly close to getting a deal done earlier this offseason, but that was before the receiver market skyrocketed after Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Nico Collins each signed hefty new extensions.
Given what has recently transpired, it’s likely that Aiyuk wants an extension that is similar to the ones his peers recently signed, which would pay him somewhere in the ballpark of $30 million annually. Aiyuk, who is currently slated to make $14.124 million this season under his fifth-year option, has a projected market value of $26.5 million annually, according to Spotrac.
At this point, it appears that Aiyuk and the 49ers are entrenched in a standstill. Either the two sides will find a middle ground, one side will decide give in, or a breakup will occur, either in the form of a yearlong holdout or a trade.
Given his recent comments, it’s clear that Aiyuk wants to either re-sign with the 49ers, play alongside Daniels in D.C., or resume his career with the Steelers in Pittsburgh. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out.
