If the Washington Commanders are going to make a splash with a Brandon Aiyuk trade or similar blockbuster, now would be the time with a rookie quarterback contract on the books.
And an underrated connection to the San Francisco 49ers might make an Aiyuk trade possible.
As Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News recently pointed out while listing the Commanders as a top destination for Aiyuk, Commanders general manager Adam Peters was the understudy of John Lynch with the 49ers for a trio of seasons before coming to Washington.
So yes, while the discourse focuses on obvious points such as the Commanders boasting roughly $37 million in free cap space and a desperate need to ensure Jayden Daniels' development, Peters is quite important, too.
Often, when big deals come together, there are background connections that move things along. Peters would know Aiyuk well and also be able to negotiate with San Francisco to get a deal done.
While pricey, Peters might see the value in chasing the league trend of loading wideout depth charts with silly levels of talent to guarantee a young quarterback’s success – and pairing Aiyuk with No. 1 Terry McLaurin (and even 2022 first-rounder Jahan Dotson) would certainly rank amongst the best depth charts in the NFL.
For their part, according to a report, the 49ers have no intention of trading Aiyuk.