When it comes to players under contract with one team, other teams generally shy away from saying anything about him. To comment on the player is to risk a tampering jackpot.
On Tuesday, JP Finlay of NBC 4 in D.C. came up with a way to ask about 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk, without asking about 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Finlay asked Commanders G.M. Adam Peters “in a general sense” whether a potential player’s social-media habits is a factor in the analysis as to whether he should be added to the roster.
“That’s a good roundabout question,” Peters said. “We look at everything, JP. I mean, it’s a great question, but we do look at everything and, you know, we want to make sure it’s the right player to be in our locker room and our bloodstream and in our culture and, you know, we often, you know, we look at that stuff. I mean, it’s not always the first thing we look at. Obviously, you’re looking at the tape, and you talk to the teams that the players have been on, and how they were in the locker room, the players have played with them, and so on and so forth to make those decisions. But, you know, that’s not usually a huge part of it. Usually.”
Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who called Finlay a “straight badass” before Peters answered, added this after Peters answered: “Well played. Both of you.”
And so, yes, Aiyuk’s recent social-media adventures (or misadventures, as the case may be) will play a role in whether the Commanders sign him. Another factor, obviously, will be whether quarterback Jayden Daniels is jostling to add Aiyuk.
None of it matters until Aiyuk applies to the league office for reinstatement from the 49ers’ reserve/left squad list to the 90-man roster. But if Aiyuk ever does what he needs to do to set the stage for his release, the Commanders may be interested — but the social-media stuff will indeed be considered.
Commanders Clips
Commanders punter Tress Way isn’t healthy enough to practice with the team right now, so they have brought in another veteran to handle the duties at training camp.
The agents for Matt Haack announced that their client is signing with the team after a workout on Tuesday. Haack appeared in seven games for the Cardinals last season and has also played for the Dolphins, Bills, Colts, Browns and Giants.
Commanders General Manager Adam Peters said that Way is dealing with a pectoral injury. The three-time Pro Bowler is not expected to be out for an extended period of time.
Peters also said that linebacker Kain Medrano will miss time with a hamstring injury.
The Commanders will stay in house to replace tight ends coach Ben Steele.
Head coach Dan Quinn said that offensive assistant Wes Welker will now work with that position group. Steele was dismissed on Monday for violating team rules.
Welker also worked with the team’s tight ends at the end of their offseason program. Steele was placed on paid leave after a DWI arrest on June 7.
Welker was a personnel analyst for the Commanders last season. The longtime NFL wideout was previously a wide receivers coach for the Dolphins and 49ers. He also spent time on the Texans’ coaching staff after retiring as a player.
The 49ers have opened training camp. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains on the reserve/left squad list.
He also remains determined to play for the Commanders.
Via The Athletic, Aiyuk made it even more clear in a Friday text message that he wants to sign with Washington.
Said Aiyuk: “[Adam Peters] and [Dan Quinn] quietly put together a SQAUD! [sic] I’m the final peice [sic] that will swing all the odds in our favor.”
The final piece can’t be put in place until the 49ers release him. Nothing will happen until Aiyuk files a petition for reinstatement with the league, the league grants it, and he shows up for work. At that point, the 49ers would have to choose between letting him practice (and risk owing him more than $26 million if he suffers a season-ending injury) or cutting him. Common sense suggests they’d cut him.
Common sense also points to Aiyuk filing the petition for reinstatement. He has vowed not to do it. Unless the 49ers choose to release him from the reserve/left squad list, nothing will happen.
There’s a chance nothing will happen if/when he’s released. While the Commanders clearly had interest at one point, he may have scared them away with social-media antics that included multiple skirmishes with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
At some point, life will go on. Rosters will be set. Games will be played. And the NFL train will roll ahead without Aiyuk.
The Commanders announced the departure of tight ends coach Ben Steele on Monday morning and declined further comment about why the offseason addition to Dan Quinn’s staff was leaving the team just before the start of training camp.
Nicki Jhabvala of TheAthletic.com reports that Steele was dismissed due to a violation of team policy. Jhabvala also reports that Steele was arrested on suspicion driving while intoxicated on June 7 and faces additional charges for refusing to take a blood/breath test and obstructing or resisting an officer without force.
Per the report, Steele notified the Commanders about the arrest. The team informed the league and Steele was placed on paid leave. With Steele on leave, offensive assistant Wes Welker worked with the tight ends at minicamp.
Quinn is expected to name a replacement tight ends coach on Tuesday, which is also when the full Commanders squad is due to report to training camp.
The Commanders announced a change to their coaching staff a couple of days before their first practice of training camp.
The team announced that they are parting ways with tight ends coach Ben Steele. The announcement adds that the team will have no further comment at this time.
Any move involving a member of the staff would lead to questions for head coach Dan Quinn and the timing of this one ensures Quinn will be asked about the decision in his first press conference of training camp this week.
Steele was hired by Washington this offseason. He spent the last three seasons as the Cardinals’ tight ends coach and has also worked for the Broncos, Vikings, Falcons and Buccaneers over the course of his coaching career.
A recent report indicated five teams have been keeping tabs on free agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs heading into free agency and there’s now word of a team that has caught Diggs’s eye.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that the prospect of joining the Commanders is “intriguing” to the veteran wideout. The presence of quarterback Jayden Daniels is a major part of the draw for Diggs, who grew up outside Washington in Maryland and attended college at the University of Maryland.
There’s no word if the Commanders share the interest, but they have been linked to a possible move for Brandon Aiyuk throughout the offseason. That’s unlikely to happen as long as Aiyuk remains on the 49ers’ reserve list, however, and Diggs is another option to upgrade the No. 2 receiver spot alongside Terry McLaurin in their offense.
Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns with the Patriots last season.
The Commanders announced a handful of roster moves before the start of their training camp this week.
Defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Deatrich Wise have both been placed on the physically unable to perform list. Armstrong suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 of the 2025 season while Wise went down with a quad injury in Week 2.
Cornerback Trey Amos was also placed on the PUP list. He fractured his fibula in Week 10 last year.
The Commanders rounded out the day’s moves by placing undrafted rookie cornerback Fred Davis II on the non-football illness list.
All four players still count against the 90-man roster limit and they can be activated at any point during camp.
When 49ers tight end George Kittle last addressed receiver Brandon Aiyuk, during a visit with Pardon My Take, he told Commanders fan PFT Commenter, “Have fun with that.”
In a Thursday visit with Chris Simms, Kittle opted not to get into the details about the things that have happened between Aiyuk and the 49ers. However, Kittle strongly hinted that the problems trace to the protracted and difficult contract negotiations between Aiyuk and the 49ers from 2024.
“I feel like I know basically everything that’s happened and what’s gone on, and I can’t share all of that, because it’s not my business to share or tell,” Kittle said. “But . . . I feel like the Niners have done a very good job throughout the entire process and have tried. [Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] has tried. [G.M.] John [Lynch] has tried. Teammates have tried. And this is where we are. And so I think the organization itself has done a really good job. And like I said, I know plenty of things. . . . I don’t want to point a finger at anybody, but I’ve been here for 10 years, and I’ve been treated with nothing but respect and love my entire career. I feel like I’ve done it the right way as long as I can.”
That’s the right approach. Kittle and Aiyuk have been teammates for six years. Technically, they still are — even if Aiyuk undoubtedly will never play for the 49ers again (barring a dramatic and unexpected change of heart).
Kittle pivoted during his response to the contract issue that bogged down the relationship between Aiyuk and the 49ers. And Kittle’s comments make clear his belief that, for Aiyuk, the situation left a wound that never healed.
“Contract negotiations are also — those are always hard for everybody,” Kittle said. “And you just try your best to not be sensitive about it. But I will say, you know, Richard Sherman gave me advice back in the day when I was going through my first contract negotiation. It was, ‘Contracts are like braces. They hurt and they suck the entire time, and then once you get your braces off and you get paid, you don’t even remember having them. And it’s a great time.’ Like, that’s kind of the mindset you have to have, and, you know, if you get offended by something, you hold onto it, that’s kind of on you, because everybody goes through contract negotiations, and they’re all difficult.”
Regardless of how much sense that makes, something happened that pushed Aiyuk past the point of no return. For him, it was the first real contract negotiation of his pro career. The 49ers do them all the time and, frankly, this creates an obligation to not treat all of them the same. For someone like Kittle, the discomfort of the braces was forgotten immediately. For someone like Aiyuk, the pain and discomfort can’t be.
Successful coaches have a different approach to coaching different players. Front offices should do the same. Hardball can’t be the only game played; for some players, the echoes of chin music never fade away.
Whether or not the 49ers had reason to believe Aiyuk would hold a grudge over contentious contract talks is a different issue. As the situation was unfolding two summers ago, however, there was plenty of evidence to support the conclusion that the time had come to move on. And the 49ers had a chance to do it, with a trade to the Steelers teed up before Aiyuk suddenly decided to accept the team’s offer.
Surely, the 49ers wish they’d gone through with the trade. Even more surely, they’ve learned from the experience a better way to resolve the next negotiations that turn extra ugly.
Or maybe they’ve learned how to keep the negotiations from getting extra ugly. Especially from the players who won’t forget the ugliness.
While training camps start to open around the league, there are a number of notable veteran players still looking for places to play during the 2026 season.
That list includes wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who became a free agent in March when his contract with the Commanders expired. In a YouTube video, Samuel said that his extended time as a free agent has “kind of been tough” but that he is confident he’s ready to hit the ground running once a chance to play materializes.
“Some people ask like, “Are you ready to hang it up?” And I’m like, ‘Nah, everything’s got timing,’” Samuel said. “I promise you when the time come, it’s going to come. And I’m overly prepared, overly ready for the moment. And whenever that right opportunity show up, we here first, man, and ready to rock out.”
Samuel scored 42 touchdowns as a receiver and runner over six seasons with the 49ers and he caught 72 passes for 727 yards and five touchdowns after being traded to the Commanders last year. That production was down from his best years with the Niners and it remains to be seen where he might get a chance to show he still has a lot in the tank.
