There are multiple factors that make sense for why the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders could swap disgruntled wide receivers. originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The San Francisco 49ers satisfied the request of receiver Deebo Samuel by trading him to the Washington Commanders in March. The Niners inherited draft capital for a player who fans were disappointed in after another season failing to reach his All-Pro pedigree from a few seasons ago.
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Samuel wasn’t the only receiver to have difficulties with the franchise in recent years. Last offseason, Brandon Aiyuk stretched his contract holdout all the way through preseason games before eventually signing a four-year $120 million deal to stay in the Bay Area.
Aiyuk is now back on the sidelines this offseason … but for a different reason.
He is sitting out OTAs because he suffered a torn ACL in Week 7 last season, and the expectation is that he’ll be forced to miss his second straight training camp. While Aiyuk has been present and reportedly encouraging his teammates during workouts, he could be expressing contradicting thoughts away from the practice field.
There are also rumors that Aiyuk is upset with the 49ers organization – for reasons unknown – and may prefer to play somewhere else.
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He posted a picture to his Instagram story of an iconic shot of Hall of Famer Terrell Owens working out in his driveway. The original photo was taken when Owens was in an argument with his then Philadelphia Eagles team that led to an ugly situation and him being released soon after.
Is Aiyuk insinuating a similar message? Or is this a roll out of some sort of trade request?
That’s up for interpretation, but it happens to align with another awkward situation involving a receiver on the … you guessed it, Washington Commanders. And no, it’s not Deebo.
Washington’s All-Pro veteran Terry McLaurin is exercising a holdout from Commanders OTAs amidst his contract negotiations. If this standoff continues, he could desire a move, as well.
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Putting these two stories together, Chase Senior of Chat Sports proposes a trade of Aiyuk for McLaurin straight up.
There is a lot to unpack here.
First, for the Niners, they could get away with paying less overall if they are able to unload Aiyuk’s contract and sign McLaurin to a less expensive extension. That is feasible if Washington is willing to take on Aiyuk’s $30 million average salary, which is back loaded pretty heavily over the next three years.
For the Commanders, the personnel connections cannot be ignored. The Washington general manager Adam Peters helped draft both Samuel and Aiyuk when he was in San Francisco. That relationship could prove beneficial as he knows Aiyuk’s skillset and how he pairs with Samuel as well as anyone.
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Aiyuk, who remains friends with Samuel, is also close with his former college teammate at Arizona State Jayden Daniels, the Commanders’ cornerstone quarterback fresh off a stellar Offensive Rookie of the Year showing last year.
This deal could benefit both players with a change of scenery and escape from their current predicaments. And from the looks of it, both teams could come away happy, too.
This trade pitch is not officially in the works or on the table, but there are a lot of factors that explain how it could work if it was.
Don’t be surprised if the teams get on the phone and talk about a wide receiver move.
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Again.
Related: 49ers Kittle Defends Deebo After Viral Minicamp Video
Related: Brandon Aiyuk Attendance Brings Update at 49ers Minicamp
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
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