Brandon Aiyuk tells FOX Sports he would join the Commanders immediately if the 49ers release him

Brandon Aiyuk has made the next step in his situation conditional and blunt. According to FOX Sports, the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver said he would sign immediately with the Washington Commanders if the 49ers grant his request and release him.

The comments come amid an offseason standoff that has been shaping the 49ers receiver room. FOX Sports reports that Aiyuk is currently on the reserve/left squad list. In the report, that status is tied to behavior and availability issues that preceded last season’s end, when Aiyuk stopped showing up late in the year while continuing rehabilitation for a knee injury.

That knee problem has been a long subplot for the receiver. FOX Sports states that the injury has sidelined Aiyuk since October 2024 as he rehabilitates. With that timeline, San Francisco has been forced into an extended evaluation period, both on Aiyuk’s health trajectory and on how the team wants to handle a long-term commitment when a player’s availability becomes uncertain.

There is also a communication gap between Aiyuk’s preferences and the 49ers’ posture. FOX Sports reports that Aiyuk wants to be released, but the 49ers have not moved quickly to do it. The same report attributes a separate, more blunt internal message to 49ers general manager John Lynch, who is said to have stated he does not expect Aiyuk to play for the team again.

In NFL terms, the “reserve/left squad” designation indicates that a player is not available for the club in the ordinary sense, while the club retains roster control pending how the situation is resolved. For the Commanders, Aiyuk’s claim matters because it suggests a clean and immediate destination if San Francisco chooses to move him. For San Francisco, it raises the leverage question every offseason: do you keep waiting for resolution, or do you pull forward a decision that could reshape the receiving corps for the coming season.

The FOX Sports report frames Aiyuk’s position as straightforward: if released, he would not need extended time to explore options. Instead, he would connect quickly with Washington, a team that would then need to integrate the receiver into its offensive structure. Even without knowing the details of any contract framework, the practical impact is that a team willing to add a veteran target can adjust training-camp planning and offseason reps around that possibility.

What to watch next is whether the 49ers treat Aiyuk’s release request as an eventual inevitability or whether they continue to let the situation play out. Also important will be how Washington responds if a release happens, since the report indicates the willingness to sign “immediately,” which could compress the decision window for both teams.