Brandon Aiyuk’s path back to an NFL field is still murky, but Drew Rosenhaus gave a pretty clear clue about where the wide receiver could end up if the 49ers move on.
Aiyuk has been on San Francisco’s reserve/left squad list since December, and his situation has only gotten stranger from there. He hired Rosenhaus, went through the NFL reinstatement process that starts a two-week window for the 49ers to decide his future, and is still working back from a brutal knee injury that included a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his right knee. Along the way, Aiyuk’s social media activity left people wondering whether he’d even be back in the league.
Rosenhaus tried to calm that uncertainty during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, saying Aiyuk has already cleared the medical hurdles and is doing football work on his own.
“I definitely would tell the teams that he has passed many physicals, you know, with the 49ers. He had an MRI, he had x-rays, he had a physical exam, and he passed it with flying colors.
He’s working out on his own, he’s running routes, he’s catching footballs. He says he’s 100% ready to play.
We’d be glad to go work out for interested teams if he is released by the 49ers.”
Then came the line that set off the speculation.
“And as far as me talking to the teams, I think that in all likelihood,
Brandon would probably sign with a team that knows him.
That’s somebody that has somehow been affiliated with him, either in college or the 49ers.
That’s just my guess”
That comment points straight at a possible landing spot: the Washington Commanders. The connection is obvious because Jayden Daniels and Aiyuk were together at Arizona State, which fits Rosenhaus’ “somehow been affiliated with him either in college or the 49ers” description.
The Commanders are 2-5-1 this season, and the question becomes whether they’d want to bring Aiyuk into that environment. He’d first have to show he’s healthy and in the right mental space to return to NFL football, and Washington would have to decide if that’s worth the gamble.
For now, Rosenhaus has at least given the league a place to look.
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