It feels like ages ago that the Washington Commanders reached the NFC Championship Game in Dan Quinn's first season as head coach. Give them credit, though, they got somewhere the Dalals Cowboys haven't been in 30 years. The problem is everything that's happened since.
After stumbling to a 5-12 record last season, Quinn enters 2026 facing legitimate pressure to prove that magical playoff run wasn't a one-off. That hinges on the health of Jayden Daniels more than anything, but Washington spent a ton of money this offseason to improve a defense that often looked as bad as the Matt-Eberflus-led Cowboys.
Despite a productive offseason, Quinn and the Commanders are seemingly hell-bent on signing disgruntled 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk when San Francisco inevitably releases him.
Simply put, nobody should want in the Aiyuk business right now. It's a really messy situation that started when the 49ers voided the remaining guarantees in his four-year, $120 million contract for skipping rehab sessions for his torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus. He was later placed on the reserve/left team list (yes, that's a real thing) after Aiyuk stopped showing up.
Yeah, no thanks.
Cowboys fans should be rooting for Commanders to sign or trade for Brandon Aiyuk
Appearing on Pardon My Take, 49ers tight end George Kittle gave a pretty damning assessment of his teammate.
“The last time I saw Aiyuk was, call it Week 6, 7, or 8. I don’t really know,” Kittle said. “I used to make it a habit of mine to go out early in the morning before meetings to watch him train because he’d always be out there early, and I watched him run over 22 miles an hour and stop on a dime. So, he’s still got it, or at least that was a year, eight months ago, so I don’t really know. But you guys have fun with that, I guess . . . You have fun with all that comes with it.”
That last line says it all, and yet the Commanders continue to be the only team linked to Aiyuk. Granted, Aiyuk is close with Jayden Daniels -- his former teammate at Arizona State -- and Washington badly needs another receiver after whiffing on Alec Pierce and Romeo Doubs in free agency.
But at some point, you have to ask if the baggage is worth it. There's no telling how Aiyuk will look following his knee injury. He hasn't played football since October of 2024, and it doesn't sound like he put his heart and soul into his recovery.
And while Aiyuk is openly campaigning to join the Commanders, it's a bizarre look to do that while still under contract with another team. In his latest attempt to facilitate a move to Washington, Aiyuk posted an Instagram Story in which he shouted, "Go Commanders! Go Commanders! Go Commanders! Raise Hail! Take Command!"
The Commanders clearly believe leaving the Niners could be the reset Aiyuk needs. However, his conduct over the last year likely diminished his appeal to other potential suitors. Is he serious about helping Washington's offense, or is this all about getting out of San Francisco? How motivated is he to actually play football?
From a pure football standpoint, the sheer unknown of his health post-ACL makes it even more questionable.
Adding Aiyuk in any capacity is begging to end in disaster. Rest assured, Cowboys fans will be hooting and hollering when the inevitable Adam Schefter or Ian Rapoport notification lands on their phones announcing he's headed to Washington.
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