With free agency and the 2026 draft in the books, the next big item on the San Francisco 49ers’ offseason to-do list is to figure out Brandon Aiyuk’s future. The team communicated that they’re open to trade talks for Aiyuk, but so far, only one team seems interested — the Washington Commanders — and they’re not budging on making a deal.
“The Commanders … appear steadfast in their unwillingness to give up draft assets to acquire Aiyuk,” The Athletic’s Matt Barrows and Nicki Jhabvala reported.
This has created a bit of a standoff between the two teams. The Commanders are waiting for the 49ers to release Aiyuk so they can’t sign him, and the 49ers won’t release him because they think they can trade him to the Commanders for something.
Who will blink first? It doesn’t sound like the Commanders will. And a lot of it has to do with Aiyuk’s contract. Barrows and Jhabvala also reported that the Commanders “would likely consider a short-term, highly incentivized contract” for Aiyuk, not his current one with the 49ers.
It’s an untenable situation for the 49ers, who are not incentivized to outright release him but also likely want to be done with the whole saga. Right now, though, a trade seems very unlikely.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Commanders ‘unwilling’ to make trade for 49ers absent star
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
