Underrated Trade Landing Spots for 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk That Aren't the Commanders

We don't yet know where wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will play in 2026. What does seem clear is that it is highly unlikely to be with the San Francisco 49ers.

Aiyuk's saga in San Francisco is well documented. He broke out in 2022 and 2023, signed a big extension, then tore his ACL in 2024. Since then, he has endured two lost seasons—one to injury and another to a complete implosion of his relationship with the team, which prompted the 49ers to void all remaining guarantees on that contract.

Despite that falling out—or perhaps because of it—the Niners are in no hurry to give Aiyuk his walking papers. In fact, general manager John Lynch recently told reporters that the franchise remains optimistic it can deal the 28-year-old and recoup some draft capital.

"We're available," he said. "Give us a call."

A number of teams have been mentioned as potential trade partners, with the Washington Commanders seemingly emerging as the leading candidates to acquire the 2020 first-round pick.

But there are plenty of other teams that could use a wide receiver with Aiyuk's resume, even with everything that has happened over the past two years. After all, it's not as if his price tag will be especially high at this point, and any acquiring team would almost certainly look to renegotiate his contract as part of the deal.

You can count these teams among them. Just don't look for the Los Angeles Rams or Seattle Seahawks—Lynch is not about to flip Aiyuk to an NFC West rival.

Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/David Becker

There have been all sorts of changes in Sin City this offseason. There's a new head coach in Klint Kubiak. At some point this season the team will be rolling out 2026 first overall pick Fernando Mendoza under center. There have been big-money free agent acquisitions on both sides of the ball.

However, while the team added wide receiver Jalen Nailor in free agency, the wideout corps in Las Vegas remains a question mark. And as ESPN's Mina Kimes said on "NFL Live," in theory Aiyuk offers a skill-set that matches what Mendoza does best.

"When you think about Mendoza and his skill set and his preference, he throws the ball, those beautiful back-shoulder balls and the outs," Kimes said. "It doesn't feel to me like there's a receiver on the roster who really matches up well with that. I understand the offense is going to be a Kubiak offense, very under center, throw over the middle of the field, play-action, all that. So, I would be on the phone and gauge interest."

Playing for the Raiders likely wouldn't mean many wins for Aiyuk, at least in the short-term. But given the lack of proven talent at the position in Las Vegas, assuming Aiyuk is anywhere close to 100 percent he could ostensibly become the No. 1 wideout for the Raiders in relatively short order.

And those targets (and the production that emanates from them) probably means more for rehabbing Aiyuk's stock than winning games.

Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

The Los Angeles Chargers were a playoff team last year, and with improvement along the offensive line the team has the talent to field a potent unit under first-year coordinator Mike McDaniel.

However, the team could stand to add a wide receiver. Ladd McConkey was great as a rookie but regressed a bit in 2025. Quentin Johnston has flashed at times but hasn't lived up to his first-round draft slot.

Behind that duo on the depth chart are a whole lot of question marks.

Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports believes a healthy Aiyuk could answer some of those questions:

"Back in 2023, Aiyuk caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns as the 49ers made it all the way to Super Bowl LVIII. He had seven 100-yard games, and averaged 3.1 yards per route run—the third-best rate in the NFL behind Tyreek Hill and Nico Collins (min. 400 routes). Aiyuk caught 14 of 20 passes thrown both outside the numbers and with 15 or more air yards, which was the best rate (70%) of any player in the last four seasons."

As with all of these trade landing spots, it's assumed here that Aiyuk is at least close to the player who surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in 2022 and 2023. If he is, he could be for the Chargers what they wanted Johnston to be: the outside complement to McConkey in the slot.

And an already solid L.A. offense would be that much more formidable.

New York Giants

AP Photo/John Froschauer

The New York Giants have the makings of an excellent young offensive core in quarterback Jaxson Dart, running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers.

Unfortunately, all three suffered injury-marred 2025 seasons, and Giants head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged that while the team is hopeful Nabers will be ready for Week 1, it's not a certainty:

"Just impossible to predict [when he'll be ready]. I mean, the goal is to start the season and for him to get out there sometime in training camp—that'd be the goal. And then, we'll see what happens. If he's out there, great. If he's not out there, great. We'll be ready to go either way. But, I know he's fighting like crazy to do his best to be out there. And he's with the guys every day."

The Giants signed veteran wideout Darnell Mooney and tight end Isaiah Likely in free agency, but Mooney has been targeted over 100 times just twice in six seasons and hasn't had a 1,000-yard season since 2021. Darius Slayton has missed time each of the past two years and caught the second-fewest passes (37) of his career in 2025.

It's not like Aiyuk would cost a lot in terms of draft capital. His arrival would alleviate some of the pressure on Nabers to rush back onto the field. And once he is back, a Nabers/Aiyuk duo could blossom into one of the better one-two punches at the wide receiver position in the NFL.

New England Patriots

AP Photo/Scot Tucker

There has been talk for weeks that the New England Patriots were exploring a trade for a veteran wide receiver. They have been widely rumored to be the front-runners to land A.J. Brown in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, that deal isn't done, and the Pats aren't the only potential suitor for Brown. Owen Crisafulli of NESN noted that the team could pivot to Aiyuk if the deal for the Eagles star doesn't come to fruition:

"The Patriots are a team that has the ability to take a flier on Aiyuk. The front office is also known to be a fan of his, as they were interested in pursuing a trade for him before the 2024 campaign. Could his recent controversies with San Fran change things, though? That is unknown, and while all eyes will be on Brown, Aiyuk will continue to lurk as a potential backup option."

Aiyuk isn't as close to as proven an option as Brown. But where Brown could command a first-round pick in a trade, Aiyuk will be far less expensive in terms of draft capital. And cap space isn't an issue in New England—the team is sitting on just over $35.5 million in cap space, per Over the Cap.

The Patriots rolled the dice on a mercurial wide receiver last year in Stefon Diggs and got a 1,000-yard season out of him.

Perhaps they could coax a similar campaign from Aiyuk.

Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn

It's something of a weird year in Indianapolis. The Colts extended quarterback Daniel Jones, but his early-season availability remains in doubt after an Achilles tear.

The team also gave wide receiver Alec Pierce a big contract after his first 1,000-yard season, but traded fellow wideout Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That trade left the Colts thin at wide receiver. Behind Pierce, it's the likes of Josh Downs, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Ashton Dulin.

According to Ernesto Cova of Horseshoe Heroes, that makes Indy a logical trade partner for Aiyuk:

"Aiyuk is a former second-team All-Pro guy who's still in his prime. He's an easy 1,000 receiving yards, and he'd give Daniel Jones a reliable pass catcher to move the chains, while Josh Downs handles things in the slot and Pierce is his big-play specialist. Trading for Aiyuk would come with some risks, but everything does in this league. The Colts proved to be all-in on this team when they agreed to send away two first-round picks to get Sauce Gardner, so they might as well double down on that approach."

That trade for Gardner admittedly came before Jones got hurt. But if Indianapolis believes Jones will be ready to go at or near Week 1, it makes sense for the team to take a flier on Aiyuk.

Because while his layoff and the way his tenure in San Francisco ended are risks, it's not going to take a high draft pick to get him.

Atlanta Falcons

AP Photo/Danny Karnik

The Atlanta Falcons head into the summer as a franchise in flux. There's a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski, and there could be a new starting quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa.

Whoever is under center in Atlanta has some weapons at his disposal in wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts.

However, the trio of wide receivers behind London—Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus and rookie Zachariah Branch—aren't exactly scaring anyone.

For that reason, Garrett Klaus of Blogging Dirty believes that pursuing Aiyuk could be a lower-risk investment with the opportunity to pay big-time dividends:

"If Atlanta can negotiate a reworked deal with Aiyuk, minimal draft compensation (Day 3 pick territory), and incentive based structure tied to health, then the Falcons get a 28-year-old receiver with proven WR1 traits for pennies on the dollar. And the 49ers finally get to end an embarrassing situation they clearly want out of. Most teams see the Brandon Aiyuk situation as messy. The Falcons should see it as an opportunity. Because someone is going to be the team that finally ends this saga. And the Atlanta Falcons might be the only team positioned to do it on their terms."

The NFC South is arguably the most wide-open division in the league. All four teams have a legitimate chance to capture the crown if things break the right way.

Adding Aiyuk on the cheap could greatly increase the chances of that happening for the Falcons in 2026.