The San Francisco 49ers are desperate to get something, anything out of Brandon Aiyuk from another NFL team. So much so, the team has cancelled mini camp in the suspected effort to avoid having Aiyuk show up and therefore trigger a convoluted process to cut him.
"Stop running from the belt. The belt coming," Aiyuk said defiantly in an Instagram video posted Sunday supposedly aimed at the 49ers. "You scared. They scared. The truth is they scared. They know how I get. They gonna say, ‘Oh, yeah, B.A. did this, B.A. did that.’ You know that sh*t — ‘Allegedly. Allegedly.’ But what they not gonna say is ‘B.A. suck at football,’ because they know how I get. And they running from that belt that’s on the way. It’s inevitable. It’s coming. Stop running."
#49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk posted a new video on Instagram:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 7, 2026
“Stop running from the belt. The belt coming.” pic.twitter.com/i9s8yB6kvR
The 28-year-old former Arizona State product, selected in the first round of the 2020 draft, hasn't played a snap of football since suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2024. He's made clear he prefers his next home to be in the nation's capital, playing with his former college quarterback Jayden Daniels. With the clock ticking on San Francisco until it has to release Aiyuk, there's little reason for the Washington Commanders to force a trade for the troubled wideout.
That being said, there are other teams who may be willing to take advantage of the 49ers' desperation rather than inevitably lose out on Aiyuk when he hits the market. Washington will have to weigh whether it feels Aiyuk is a necessary building block (or at least if Daniels thinks so).
This 49ers-Commanders trade for Brandon Aiyuk will be déjà vu for Steelers fans
If Washington decides to pull the trigger on a swap for Aiyuk, teams that need receiver depth could be undercut again. One team in particular who may be feeling déjà vu is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh was an interested party in attempting to acquire former 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel during the summer of 2025 but ultimately lost out to Washington. Seeing yet another San Francisco weapon head east to the capital will send the fanbase into a frustrated tizzy.
No team has to give up much for Aiyuk too. Washington can offer a conditional seventh-round pick in next year's draft and that should be sufficient. If the Commanders reach the playoffs in 2026, that pick upgrades to a sixth-rounder. Pittsburgh can offer the same or better, but ultimately Aiyuk holds deciding power because he can refuse to negotiate a reworked deal with anyone.
There is significant reason for Washington to not engage in trade discussions and Aiyuk's contract is the biggest one to consider. San Francisco voided his 2026 guarantees, which means the Commanders, if a reworked deal isn't reached, would be on the hook for $27 million. That would eat up over half of the team's remaining $43 million salary cap space.
Washington's best move is to wait out San Francisco and sign Aiyuk when he's freed. However, if appeasing Daniels and bringing in a familiar face on offense is the goal, getting him in burgundy and gold sooner rather than later may be necessary.
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