49ers' Brandon Aiyuk Shows Love to Commanders in New IG Video Amid NFL Trade, Release Rumors

Brandon Aiyuk technically remains a member of the San Francisco 49ers, though with that relationship seemingly fractured beyond repair, a release or a trade is expected.

The veteran wideout gave a hint as to where he might like to play going forward, saying "Go Commanders!" several times on a recent social media post.

Earlier on Sunday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter that if Aiyuk is going to play elsewhere, it will have to follow his release.

"Aiyuk, he's got the natural tie-in with Jayden Daniels, his teammate at Arizona State. But this one is complicated because really it's a standoff between the 49ers and Aiyuk," he said. "He's essentially considered untradeable because of his bloated contract, and he didn't rehab with the team, and it's gotten pretty ugly. You've seen some of the Instagram videos. And so right now if he shows up, reports to the team at any point, then maybe they can get the process started of releasing him or getting some sort of parting of ways at this point, which is expected. Now, teams like Washington or anybody else who may look at receivers; you know Baltimore's been a little thin there, Kansas City. Whoever gets involved, they're probably not going to trade for him, they're going to wait for him to get released and then he's not going to have the market he had a couple of years ago, but he could still bring value as a former top-10 receiver."

Aiyuk, 28, was excellent in the 2023 season, catching 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. But a torn ACL and MCL cut his 2024 campaign short and the Niners voided the guarantees in his contract in Nov. 2025 after he reportedly didn't meet conditions of the deal. Aiyuk ultimately didn't play last season.

In January, general manager John Lynch said it was "safe to say he's played his last snap with the 49ers."

Now it's just a question of where he'll play going forward. Aiyuk's preference is pretty clear.