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There's been plenty made about the fact that Brandon Aiyuk's salary for the 2026 season isn't guaranteed.
That's what allows the San Francisco 49ers to take their time in deciding when, how and where to move on from Aiyuk, whether via trade or cut.
But the salary makes things more complicated for any acquiring team, because the 49ers ideally would send him away in a trade for some kind of asset in return. And a team that gets Aiyuk in a trade still has to pay his salary.
ESPN's Dan Graziano explained it like this in a new article on Thursday:
"The thing is, once his option bonus kicks in on Sept. 1, that $27 million is still his salary -- guaranteed or not. The Niners have let it be known he's available for trade, but teams aren't eager to trade any valuable player for a one who hasn't played since October 2024 and seems likely to be released before the season starts."
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A release is clearly much better for an acquiring team. They can sign Aiyuk to a small contract then and have much less risk tied up in the mercurial wide receiver.
"Aiyuk is a talented player who's still just 28 and likely could help a team if he's back to full health," Graziano writes. "You'll hear his name come up in trade talks in the coming months, even if he's more likely to be cut than traded. Most people seem to believe he wants to be in Washington with former college teammate Jayden Daniels."
It's just simply hard to know what you're getting with Aiyuk. He was hurt in 2024, then never played in 2025 after his injury turned into extra drama with the 49ers.
A team like the Commanders definitely could use his talent, but will he fit into the team concept? That's a lot trickier thing to answer.
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