How 49ers-Commanders Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors are impacted by NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Brandon Aiyuk saga still might have a ways to go.

But it's worth revisiting as the 2026 NFL Draft is ongoing for his current team, the San Francisco 49ers, and the team most connected to him in trade rumors, the Washington Commanders.

Draft picks are some of the NFL's most popular traded assets, and they're easier to trade when the draft is actually happening, because that's the easiest time to assess the value of a given pick.

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It's not that simple. The 49ers don't have much incentive to do anything but wait for a trade offer they like, but the Commanders don't have much incentive to offer a trade.

San Francisco isn't in a rush to release Aiyuk, because he has no more guaranteed money on his deal.

Washington probably doesn't think Aiyuk is worth any draft picks in a trade because he just sat out the entire season and comes with obvious risk for mindset reasons.

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That doesn't mean that on day three, the Commanders won't decide to send a sixth-round pick to the 49ers for Aiyuk.

If something eventually happens here, it might still be months down the road.

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