Commanders' Brandon Aiyuk waiting game gets update from ESPN insider

Jul 24, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk works out with his teammates during the second day of training camp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The Washington Commanders still have a supremely open position to be claimed on the depth chart: number two wide receiver.

Brandon Aiyuk is still looming as a potential fit even while he remains on the San Francisco 49ers' roster.

It's a tricky situation, but it sounds like an Aiyuk acquisition is still in play.

"Brandon Aiyuk remains a possibility," ESPN's John Keim wrote in a new article on Tuesday. "The Commanders won't trade for him, knowing the 49ers likely will cut him at some point. But multiple Commanders sources made it clear they're not going to just wait on him and bypass other potential options."

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Keim wrote in this same blurb that the Commanders could consider a wideout at the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, mentioning Ohio State's Carnell Tate as a possible target.

Tate could go off the board before that pick, though, which would remove one solution for the Commanders. They could then reach at that spot for someone like Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson, but that'd be a little less of a sure thing.

Aiyuk isn't a sure thing either, to be fair. He's coming off a year that began with injury and ended with a bizarre saga with a lot of finger pointing and bad vibes.

The Commanders need receiving talent to help Jayden Daniels, though, and it seems likely that if they can just get Aiyuk on the field, his ability would help their team.

The 49ers don't have to rush to release Aiyuk, because he doesn't have guaranteed money left on his contract. So it's a bit of a game of chicken at the moment to see who might blink first.

The Commanders could've traded for Aiyuk by now if they wanted to go that route. Clearly, they seem to be waiting.

Washington's offense will have to wait, too, to see if it gets to add Aiyuk's upside or if the WR2 job will end up in someone else's hands.

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