One member of Washington’s front office is departing the organization.
According to multiple reports, Scott Fitterer is leaving the Commanders to join Athletes First, working within the agency’s coaches and executives division.
Fitterer had been a personal executive for the Commanders for the last two seasons.
He was previously the Panthers’ General Manager from 2021-2023, with Carolina accumulating a 14-37 record in his tenure.
Fitterer had been with the Seahawks in a variety of roles from 2001-2020, last serving as the team’s vice president of football operations.
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Receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s path to free agency, as we’ve said before (more than a few times) is simple. One, file a petition with the league for reinstatement from the reserve/left squad list. Two, once reinstated, show up for training camp. At that point, the 49ers most likely would release him.
Aiyuk has made it clear that he won’t be doing that.
In his latest Instagram story — which consists of a statement, not a video — Aiyuk says this: “I will not be reinstating with them or ever doing any kind of business with them. I’m locked in and focused on my opportunity to return to the field this season! #RAISEHAIL”
In a separate post, Aiyuk accused the 49ers of lying to the media and the fan base regarding the decision to void his guarantees and his intent to return to the team.
Regardless, unless the 49ers release him from the reserve/left squad list (they have no incentive to do that), he’ll continue to be in limbo. The thing he refuses to do is the one thing he needs to do in order to force the team’s hand.
Either he doesn’t realize this or he doesn’t care. Neither explanation will get him to the Commanders.
At a time when it’s not clear whether receiver Brandon Aiyuk is getting any advice — or whether he’s listening to the advice he’s getting — a former NFL G.M. who knows Aiyuk plans to connect with him.
Appearing Monday on SiriusXM NFL Radio, former Titans G.M. Ran Carthon, who worked for the 49ers during Aiyuk’s first three years in San Francisco, addressed Aiyuk’s recent social-media video habit, including Saturday’s decision to cross swords with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
“There’s something there, and I’m being as transparent as transparent can be,” Carthon said. “B.A. and I, we have a relationship. I was there when we drafted him, and through time spent in the same building, we have a relationship. I honestly have been going back and forth in my head over the last week or so and I really want to reach out to him on a personal level and see if he’s willing to have the conversation, because I think there’s something there that hasn’t quite been unlocked. I don’t know if ‘unlocked’ is the right word. But I do agree with you, this isn’t the Brandon Aiyuk I know. Now, I know him to be stubborn, so I know that part about him.
“But this recent behavior, I’m not as familiar with. And the other part of it, to be quite honest, in this day and age with these guys, it could just be him trolling with the most recent video, knowing that he will get a reaction. And maybe even trying to figure out — these guys are fairly smart — so maybe he’s like, ‘OK, maybe if I create enough buzz in saying whatever he said to Jayden [Daniels] online, then the 49ers won’t think I’m just trying to get to Washington.
“Maybe that’s a game being played right now. But in full transparency, it’s something, probably when we get off the air, I may just shoot a text and say, ‘Hey man, let’s connect.’ I just want to see where his head is and offer him any advice that I can, or be a sounding board.”
Someone needs to tell Aiyuk that it would be a good idea to stop the videos, and to petition the NFL for reinstatement from the 49ers’ reserve/left squad list. That’s the first tangible step toward securing the free agency Aiyuk wants.
The Commanders are adding a veteran cornerback.
Washington has agreed to sign Rasul Douglas to a one-year deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports on Monday.
The deal is worth up to $3.8 million.
Douglas, who turns 31 in August, appeared in 15 games for the Dolphins last year with 13 starts. He finished the year with two interceptions, 13 passes defensed, a forced fumble, and a sack.
Entering his 10th season in the league, Douglas has appeared in 135 games with 93 starts for the Eagles, Panthers, Packers, Bills, and Dolphins. He’s also spent time with the Raiders, Texans, and Cardinals. Philadelphia brought him into the NFL as a third-round pick in the 2017 draft.
In all, he’s tallied 21 interceptions, 92 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, and 3.0 sacks.
At a time when Commanders fans wonder whether Brandon Aiyuk will ever arrive, it’s important not to forget about a receiver who’s back for a second bite at the apple.
Dyami Brown, after a season in Jacksonville, has returned to Washington for a second stint.
Via Tony Adams of Heavy.com, a workout video posted by Brown on Friday makes a bold declaration.
“That’s for the old me,” Brown says at the end of the session after taking a swig of hydration. “And the old me gets a drink of water. The new me gonna make it rain. Watch.”
Brown entered the league with promise as a 2021 third-round pick from North Carolina (back when, before its current coach, UNC produced draftable talent). But the production never matched the potential.
As a rookie, Brown had 165 receiving yards on 12 catches in 15 games. In Year 2, he also appeared in 15 games. The good news is that he had an eye-popping 28.3 yards per catch. The bad news is that he had only five catches, for 143 yards.
In 2023, Brown had 12 catches in 17 games, for 168 yards. He performed better in his contract year, relatively speaking. But, still, 30 catches for 308 yards won’t make demand spike on the open market.
But then came the 2024 postseason, and a different Dyami Brown emerged. In the wild-card win over the Buccaneers, he had five catches on five targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. In the divisional upset win over the Lions, eight targets, six catches, 98 yards. Another 42 yards against the Eagles in the NFC Championship slaughter gave Brown 229 receiving yards for the three-game postseason — more yards than any of his first three full seasons.
Brown landed in Jacksonville, where coach Liam Coen said Brown would have a bigger role. It didn’t happen; 14 games, six starts, 37 targets, 20 catches, 227 yards, one touchdown. And five drops, matching his total from four years in Washington.
In the offseason, Brown signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal to return to the Commanders. And, especially without Aiyuk, the door is open for Brown to contribute.
Currently, there are no big names beyond Terry McLaurin on the depth chart. Treylon Burks is expected to be a starter, as is third-round rookie Antonio Williams. Brown is projected for now to be a second-string option.
If he truly is a “new me,” Brown should be able to get on the field, and to get some targets. By the end of quarterback Jayden Daniels’s rookie season, they had chemistry. If, as it appears, the chemistry experiment between Daniels and Aiyuk has gone the way of Peter Brady’s volcano, Brown’s sixth NFL season has a chance to be his best.
Brandon Aiyuk keeps burning bridges.
He may have burned the one bridge that would have led him to the Commanders — his former Arizona State teammate.
Earlier today, after posting an item regarding whether the Commanders have interest in Aiyuk, someone in a position to know a little something about the situation pointed out that the Commanders would indeed pursue the 49ers receiver, if quarterback Jayden Daniels wants Aiyuk on the team. And it was believed that Daniels did indeed want Aiyuk.
Then, all hell broke loose on social media.
Aiyuk, as many have noticed, unfollowed Daniels on Instagram. Then, Aiyuk posted on his Instagram story a couple of videos directed at Daniels.
In one, Aiyuk says this: “You on my team now. You follow my rules. Boy, I’m a grown ass man, boy. You gonna have to stop running your mama and I might believe what you’re talking about. But until then, [no].”
In the next video, which has no audio, Aiyuk holds a pair of shoes behind a graphic that says: “Let’s run it 5! Let’s see! Need you available all [season] and I’ll do the same!”
Daniels apparently has stopped following Aiyuk on Instagram. Daniels’s Instagram story currently consists of an image of NBA star Kevin Durant showing a double thumbs down.
The issue possibly traces to the recent video of a 49ers fan repeatedly yelling at Daniels, “Fuck Brandon Aiyuk!” Daniels responds by smiling and laughing. Aiyuk apparently didn’t appreciate that.
Regardless, Daniels is the key to Aiyuk landing with the Commanders. If Daniels wants Aiyuk, the front office will be inclined to go along. If Daniels doesn’t, it won’t happen.
As of now, it looks like it won’t happen.
None of it matters until the 49ers release Aiyuk. And that likely won’t happen until he petitions the league for reinstatement from the reserve/left squad list and, once reinstated, Aiyuk shows up for training camp.
With receiver Brandon Aiyuk making his interest in joining the Washington Commanders more clear than crystal, the real question is whether the Commanders have interest in Aiyuk.
There have been no reports or suggestions that they are. Perhaps more importantly, there have been no reports or suggestions that they aren’t.
It’s only tampering to express public interest in a player under contract with another team. It’s not tampering to make it known that a team isn’t interested. If they aren’t, why not make it known?
If nothing else, it would save Aiyuk a lot of time and effort.
This suggests that they are. And why wouldn’t they be? Quarterback Jayden Daniels, who played in 2019 with Aiyuk at Arizona State (and who recently got an earful from a 49ers fan at a World Cup game), presumably wants Aiyuk on the team. With Daniels entering the critical third year of his rookie contract, he needs high-end help at receiver in order to put up the kind of season that will unlock a market-level extension.
As to the potential risk of Aiyuk acting up in D.C., the Commanders can easily manage it. Given that he wants to play for the Commanders so badly, they could offer him a one-year deal for the league minimum. Take it or leave it. Then, if anything happens that they don’t like, the Commanders can cut Aiyuk with minimal expense.
None of it matters until Aiyuk is able to be signed. He’s still under contract with the 49ers. And he’s still on the reserve/left squad list. Until he petitions the league for reinstatement (or unless the 49ers release him from the reserve/left squad list), Aiyuk’s obvious interest in the Commanders and the Commanders’ potential interest in Aiyuk don’t matter.
Receiver Brandon Aiyuk continues his campaign to cross the country from San Francisco to Washington.
In his latest Instagram story, Aiyuk posted a video in which he’s dancing behind a graphic that says he’ll “be a Commander soon.”
For that to happen, he first needs to be released by the 49ers. They can, if they choose, release him from the reserve/left squad list. Otherwise, Aiyuk must petition the league office for reinstatement. If/when reinstated, Aiyuk needs to show up for training camp.
At that point, the 49ers likely would terminate his contract, in order to avoid the possibility of Aiyuk suffering while on the premises a season-ending injury. That would put the 49ers on the hook for more than $26 million in 2026 compensation.
There’s been no indication that Aiyuk has petitioned the league for reinstatement. He needs to do that soon, in order to set the stage for the 49ers to give him the freedom he presumes he will soon be getting.
As the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, wide receiver Jahan Dotson has been a disappointment. In two years with the Commanders and two with the Eagles, he has a total of just 1,519 career receiving yards.
Now Dotson is on his third team after signing with the Falcons in March, and he thinks he’s in the right place — for the first time.
“I want to be one of the greatest,” Dotson told Josh Kendall of TheAthletic.com. “I’m not afraid [of saying that]. I was talking to Jessie Bates, and he was talking about wanting to be the best who ever played, and I’m comfortable with those sort of things. I want to be one of the best in the league. I want to show my talent. I haven’t really gotten to do that.”
Dotson signed a two-year, $15 million contract, but he says more important than the money was believing the Falcons had a plan to use him to the best of his ability.
“The big thing for me was going to a team where I felt like my talent could be showcased,” Dotson said. “I learned a lot in my first four years in the NFL from some great receivers and great coaches, but I feel like now is really my time to put my talents on display.”
Dotson didn’t get many balls thrown his way with the Eagles last year, but that hasn’t affected his confidence.
“I 100 percent believe in my talent and ability to make plays in this league,” Dotson said. “It’s just about getting the opportunity to do so. I didn’t really have that opportunity the past couple years. Now I’m looking to really do that, and I can’t wait to make plays for this football team.”
Ron Rivera, who worked for 13 straight seasons as an NFL head coach (and who won the NFL’s coach of the year award twice), will be staying put at his alma mater.
Via Ron Krochick of the San Francisco Chronicle, Rivera has signed a three-year deal to remain the G.M. at Cal.
He was hired in 2025. The contract, which apparently is retroactive to 2025, runs through March 2028.
Rivera will make $800,000 per year, with the ability to double his pay based on the football program’s success. He’ll maximize his compensation with 10 wins.
Rivera’s job includes supervising the head coach, and it includes a buyout of $250,000 if Rivera leaves before the end of the 2026 season. He reports directly to the school’s chancellor.
Rivera coached the Panthers from 2013 through 2019, and the Commanders from 2020 through 2023. He was hired by Cal in 2025.
Earlier this year, Rivera interviewed for the Cardinals’ head coaching job.
A second-round pick in 1984, Rivera was a member of the legendary 1985 Bears defense. After an eight-year playing career, all in Chicago, he entered coaching in 1997.
