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Will the 49ers Trade Brandon Aiyuk to the Commanders for Terry McLaurin?

This seems like a deal that could make both teams happy.
Grant Cohn|
Dec 31, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the second half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the second half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports | Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

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San Francisco 49ers

Contract negotiations between the 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk reportedly have stalled, and the disgruntled wide receiver recently told Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels that the 49ers "don't want him back."

If that's true, the 49ers most likely will trade Aiyuk before the season begins, and CBS's Cody Benjamin thinks there's a strong possibility the 49ers could trade Aiyuk to the Washington Commanders.

"Is it a coincidence Aiyuk vented about his contract holdup to new Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels?" writes Benjamin. "No, because the two were once teammates at Arizona State. Now how about a reunion? Terry McLaurin is already well-paid as the No. 1 for Washington, but new coach Dan Quinn has prioritized veteran depth this offseason, and there are other San Francisco ties in D.C., where ex-49ers staffers, including Commies general manager Adam Peters, now reside."

If the 49ers were to trade Aiyuk to the Commanders, how about they trade him for McLaurin?

McLaurin would be right in the 49ers' price range. He'll turn 29 in September, he's signed through 2025, and his base salary for each of the next two years would be roughly $15 million. And he's an excellent wide receiver. He's had more than 75 catches and more than 1,000 receiving yards four seasons in a row despite playing with some terrible quarterbacks.

Aiyuk would appeal to the Commanders because their new general manager, Adam Peters, was involved with drafting Aiyuk in 2020 and knows him extremely well. Plus, Aiyuk is three years younger than McLaurin and already has a rapport with Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels because they played together at Arizona State and remain close friends.

This seems like a deal that could make both teams happy.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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