Every once in a while, a wide receiver does something that has a negative effect on his career.
San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk had been cruising along for the first five seasons of his career with no issues. Then, in 2024, he suffered about as serious an injury as one could incur on the football field, tearing his ACL, MCL, and meniscus. Naturally, the complicated surgery kept him out for the remainder of the season, limiting him to just seven games that year. He also didn’t play a single snap in 2025.
Then, Aiyuk reportedly stopped showing up to the team’s rehab sessions for his knee, and that’s when they allegedly removed all future guarantees tied to his four-year, $120 million contract. Now the two sides are at odds.
Brandon Aiyuk’s Actions May Have Pushed Teams Away
Aiyuk has since been doing everything he can to get released from his contract. That’s included speeding by Levi’s Stadium, where the 49ers play, and later sharing a video of his advanced rate of speed online. The videos, unfortunately, didn’t stop there.
All summer long, Aiyuk has been taking aim at various members of the 49ers’ front office, including General Manager John Lynch. He’s also stated on several occasions that he’ll be reuniting with his former Arizona State college quarterback, Jayden Daniels, with the Washington Commanders.
Yet, you can’t believe everything you hear.
According to former Cincinnati Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Aiyuk will not be joining the Commanders. He spoke about it on “Speakeasy”:
“He ain’t going to the Commanders,” Houshmandzadeh said. “Aiyuk is done. It’s over, stick a fork in it. 0% chance, he ain’t going… BA, 0% chance that he’s with the Commanders now.”
“Brandon Aiyuk is NOT going to the Commanders… There’s zero percent.. I promise you that!”
– @housh84 offers some potential inside information about Brandon Aiyuk’s landing spot
WE ARE LIVE RIGHT NOW ⬇️ https://t.co/4gYorvL6DT pic.twitter.com/A8KT5jhrp0
— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) July 17, 2026
Perhaps Houshmandzadeh’s opinion should hold more weight than others weighing in on the 49ers receiver’s situation. After all, Houshmandzadeh has worked as Aiyuk’s personal coach in the past, so he’s gotten to know him well.
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Plus, he’s not alone with that opinion. The more videos and outlandish statements Aiyuk makes, the less likely it seems that an NFL team will want to take a chance on him.
Plus, he’s still under contract with the 49ers, and no team will be willing to trade for his remaining salary, heading into season two of that four-year, $120 million agreement.
If Aiyuk does end up with a different team, he’d have to get released by the 49ers first. While it certainly does look like the Commanders could boost their receiving corps with a free agent upgrade, perhaps turning to someone like Maryland native Stefon Diggs would be a better move for the locker room, and possibly out on the field, too.
According to PFN’s WR Impact Metric, Diggs posted an impact score of 82.9 last season, ranking seventh in the league, and he would make Daniels’ job much easier.
