The huge mistake Commanders are making with 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk

There’s no doubt that 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk has brought trouble upon himself. Still, his desire to play with the Washington Commanders is well-advertised. However, the Commanders are making a huge mistake with the 49ers receiver.

To make a long story short, the 49ers are done with Aiyuk. But as of now, they control his future. Even to the point of possibly ruining what’s left of his career, according to Sports Illustrated.

“Aiyuk is due a roster bonus if he is on the team in September, but the Niners can put him on the did not report list,” Tom Jensen wrote. “He can report trying to force them to cut him, but the Niners can then put Aiyuk on the non-football injury list. He can demand a physical, but the Niners can reject it. The 49ers have the roster tools that can prevent Aiyuk from playing until his contract runs out at the end of 2028, in essence, ending his career.”

The Commanders are making a huge mistake by not trading for Brandon Aiyuk

There are several reasons, but none are as urgent as losing Aiyuk to another team. Not to mention that one of those teams is the Commanders’ biggest rival. The Cowboys are rumored to have offered the 49ers a seventh-round pick for Aiyuk.

Let’s be honest about a seventh-round pick in the NFL Draft. It doesn’t matter that the 2027 draft is expected to be loaded. Potentially, it’s the best in many years.

However, that means first-round picks are extremely valuable. Second-round picks are more like late first-round picks. Third-round picks have inflated value. And fourth-round selections could still deliver the goods. Teams might get lucky in the fifth round at a slightly higher rate.

But that’s pretty much it. A sixth-round pick is still mostly yawn news. And seventh-round picks are shots in the dark. The Commanders are holding a seventh-round pick in their pocket as if it can change their organization.

Sure, they drafted Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round last year. He’s currently RB1 for them, heading into the 2026 season. But that’s blind luck. The 49ers getting quarterback Brock Purdy in the seventh round was blind luck. The same goes for the Patriots drafting Tom Brady in the sixth round back in the day.

The Commanders should surrender the seventh-round pick and get Aiyuk. And if they piddle around, they may find themselves in a spot where they can no longer get him.

Why do the Commanders need WR Brandon Aiyuk?

Look at the Commanders’ receiver room. Terry McLaurin is still very good, but he’s very close to the end of his legitimate WR1 days. In fact, it could be obvious even as early as this year.

Expecting an elite season from McLaruin at age 31 is way more of a hope than a solid plan. And what is behind McLaurin?

They have Luke McCaffrey currently slotted at WR2. He hasn’t shown anything at a quality NFL level in two seasons. And he’s just magically going to be the No. 2 receiver this year?

Then they have Antonio Williams, a rookie drafted in the third round. There’s reason to believe Williams will be good for the Commanders. But it’s hard to envision him setting the world on fire as a rookie.

Williams’ current spot as WR3 makes sense. But the expectations should be tempered even for that position. The best-case scenario for Williams in 2026 is a few more touchdown catches than the average rookie. Don’t look for 80 receptions and 1,200 yards.

After that? Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown, Jaylin Lane, Van Jefferson, and Jacoby Jones are among the best the Commanders can put on the field in backup roles. It doesn’t take much research to see this group is lacking in almost every metric.

The Commanders shouldn’t trade for Aiyuk because they want him. They should do it because they need him. This wouldn’t be a gamble. The risk is almost imperceptible.

What’s another reason the Commanders need to move on this?

It may seem counterintuitive, but the Commanders need to save Aiyuk from Aiyuk. The desperation of wanting out of San Francisco has already led Aiyuk to do some silly stuff. And Mark Schlereth came down hard on Aiyuk, according to a post on X by Coach Yac.

“Mark Schlereth has a message for Brandon Aiyuk: ‘Here’s a little piece of advice for you. You are exactly where you are because of the shitty decisions that you’ve made. You are not a victim. It is not anybody else’s fault. The San Francisco 49ers didn’t conspire against you to ruin your career. You are where you are because of your stupidity. Just admit it, embrace it, and move forward with it.’ ”

Also, Ian Rapoport said the issue could drag on, according to The Insiders via nbcsportsbayarea.com.

“I think we’d like to avoid some similar IG (Instagram) messaging from Brandon Aiyuk,” Rapoport said. “We’d rather the situation be settled rather than having this drag on through the summer, but that’s the way I see this going. (The 49ers) have his rights. He’s not due any guaranteed money; he forfeited that by not showing up to his rehab. They would like to trade him, probably to the Commanders, with his old friend Jayden Daniels. …

“They’re all staring at each other. There’s really no deadline to make a move at all, so until and unless everyone gets tired of Brandon Aiyuk sending Instagram messages, this is going to be a storyline that takes us through the summer.”

Every time Aiyuk gets criticized, it’s a personal hit. If the Commanders allow this to keep happening, they’re getting more of a damaged player. They could stop the attacks, make the trade, and work on getting Aiyuk in the right headspace to help the team.

By the end of the summer, Aiyuk may be in a place where no NFL team wants him. And that doesn’t help the Commanders’ weak receiver room at all.

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