The Washington Commanders are one of the teams reportedly interested in San Francisco 49ers‘ Brandon Aiyuk. However, it appears the Commanders aren’t willing to trade for the wideout and are waiting for him to be released. Nonetheless, at some point, waiting can be tiring.
Moreover, the Niners are holding firm that, for now, the only way Aiyuk is leaving the Bay Area is via a trade. As a result, with compelling veteran wideouts still out on the market, could Washington turn to an alternative rather than waiting around?
Former NFL wideout and Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter predicts that veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs will end up in Washington, which could end their interest in Aiyuk.
“I think [Diggs is] going to end up in Washington,” Carter said on the May 25 edition of “Fully Loaded.“ “He’s from the Baltimore area and played his college football at Maryland. It’d be a good look for them, and he needs to go somewhere where he is not the No. 1 because he’s not a No. 1. And as you can see in the Super Bowl, he’s not. He could not get open against them dudes.”
Last season with the New England Patriots, Diggs played 450 pass snaps and recorded an 87.5 overall PFF grade. Furthermore, the veteran wideout hauled in 85 receptions on 100 targets for 1,013 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Diggs also averaged 11.9 yards per reception and generated 363 yards after the catch.
Commanders Have Reported Interest in Niners WR
What could a pursuit of Diggs mean for Aiyuk? Well, it might mean the Commanders can only hold onto their interest for so long. Still, on April 29, NFL insider Ian Rapoport confirmed that there’s interest from Washington.
“I think the 49ers are like, just trade for him, ” Rapoport said during an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “He has no guaranteed money left. He is due a big number, $27 [million] or something like that, but no guaranteed money remains because he stopped showing up for rehab last year, and they took his guaranteed money away.
“If you are a team like the Commanders, who have interest, you say just cut him. You are going to cut him anyway. The Niners are saying they will not cut him and that you have to trade for him. The Commanders respond that you should just cut him. That is where things stand. It is a standoff.”
49ers Get Blunt Theory on Brandon Aiyuk Situation
Meanwhile, KNBR’s Larry Krueger offered a blunt theory as to why the wideout has yet to show up at the 49ers’ facilities to call their bluff and show other teams that he’s healthy to play football.
“I think the 49ers are going to play a waiting game, and whenever it is in their best interest to move on, they will release him at the cutdown deadline,“ Krueger said on the May 21 edition of “The Krueg Show.“ “That is when he will be released. Then I think he will use that, the ‘Niners did me wrong, ‘ as an excuse for why he is not ready to go.
“But in reality, he is not ready to go and may never be ready to go. Go look at that injury again; it was severe. General Manager John Lynch described it as catastrophic. It is not just another injury; it is a career-altering injury, and everyone seems to understand that.”
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