The end of the Brandon Aiyuk saga is seemingly nigh in San Francisco. With the 49ers likely to move on from him this offseason, it seems highly likely that Aiyuk could end up with the Washington Commanders alongside another former Niner wide receiver in Deebo Samuel.
The Niners placed Aiyuk on the reserve/left team list, which shuts him down for the rest of this season and almost certainly means the end of his time in the Bay Area. He hasn't played at all this season, and it seems his last time in a 49ers uniform will be in 2024 when he was crumpled on the ground in pain after a gruesome injury to his knee.
It is a shame things had to end this way. Aiyuk had so much promise and delivered on it in 2023 when he was San Francisco's top receiver and made a miracle catch in the NFC Championship game to help the 49ers make it to the Super Bowl.
Basically, right after that game, things got weird in contract negotiations, and Aiyuk took several pages out of Samuel's book by scrubbing the team from his social media and requesting a trade.
Ultimately, after all the drama, the Niners ultimately settled on a four-year, $120 million contract extension, which Aiyuk agreed to but also left a bad taste in the front office's mouth, as it felt they got taken for another ride by a diva wide receiver.
It would be fitting if Aiyuk ultimately ended up alongside Samuel, given the way they both ultimately flamed out with the Niners.
Obviously, Deebo's tenure was much different as he declined with San Francisco, but ultimately left on relatively good terms. Aiyuk's situation is different because he essentially just said he did not want to play, so something tells me he is not going to pen a loving tribute to his time with the Niners the way Samuel did.
Not only is Samuel with the Commanders, but so is general manager Adam Peters, who spent years with San Francisco's front office and has made a habit of collecting former Niners players.
Plus, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was teammates with Aiyuk in college at Arizona State University, so there are a lot of connections that could make the two sides a match.
For the 49ers, the real winner of this situation seems to be Jauan Jennings, who could be retained by the Niners with the savings they will reap from voiding Aiyuk's contract.
But the Commanders may benefit as well if they end up getting a productive and healthy Aiyuk, should they acquire him this upcoming offseason.