While it seems highly likely that the San Francisco 49ers are going to release Brandon Aiyuk very soon, there is still a chance for the team to make one last-ditch effort to get something for the wide receiver even if a trade would be hard to pull off.
Everyone already knows the Washington Commanders are interested in Aiyuk. Washington has made a habit of signing ex-Niners under general manager Adam Peters (see: Deebo Samuel, Jake Moody, Drake Jackson, etc.), and Aiyuk has ties to quarterback Jayden Daniels from their time together at Arizona State.
It would come as no shock if Washington scooped Aiyuk up after the 49ers released him, but it's not going to be the only team interested. Sure, there are character questions about Aiyuk and also questions about how effective he will be coming off the major knee injury suffered in 2024.
But if Aiyuk could return to his 2023 production level at some point, teams might be getting a steal.
The New England Patriots have had interest in Aiyuk for a while, and they just got rid of Stefon Diggs. So they could use another receiver. If the Commanders desperately want Aiyuk, then maybe they could work out some sort of trade with San Francisco so they do not have to get into a bidding war with another squad.
The Niners got a fifth-round draft pick in exchange for Samuel when they traded him to Washington last year. Maybe San Francisco could get a sixth- or seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for Aiyuk. Maybe if the Niners wanted to get greedy, they could try to ask for Luke McCaffrey, the brother of Christian McCaffrey, in exchange for Aiyuk.
The younger McCaffrey brother had 203 receiving yards and three touchdowns last season with Washington. He only played in nine games, so if he stays healthy, he is a guy to look out for. He also returned kicks for the Commanders last season, and the Niners are in need of a new kick returner after Skyy Moore left in free agency.
The Commanders are probably high on the younger McCaffrey and would not want to give him up, especially since many would probably say McCaffrey will have a better career than Aiyuk going forward.
It's unlikely a trade can be worked out at all, given the money involved and the fact everyone knows San Francisco is going to release Aiyuk.
But it wouldn't hurt for general manager John Lynch to get on the phone with Peters one more time.