RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Outside of Terry McLaurin, the Washington Commanders lack true star power at wide receiver.
Deebo Samuel lasted just one season after being traded from the San Francisco 49ers a year ago, and the Commanders have spent the majority of this offseason being linked to another 49ers wideout.
Disgruntled WR Brandon Aiyuk has made it clear that he wants to play for the Commanders — and only the Commanders — after having his guaranteed money voided by San Francisco last season.
The problem is that Aiyuk, who hasn’t played since October 2024, has gone on numerous social media rants this offseason throwing massive shade at the 49ers, which has seemingly made the All-Pro wideout too radioactive for most teams to consider touching.
Aiyuk also had a social media beef with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, though it’s been speculated it was a work to throw everyone off. Given Aiyuk has been so vocal about wanting to play in Washington, reporter JP Finlay of NBC 4 in Washington D.C. asked Commanders general manager Adam Peters about possibly acquiring Aiyuk without actually mentioning him.
“When you’re evaluation guys to bring in for workouts or whatever, what role — if any — does a player’s social media have in that evaluation process?” Finlay asked.
The question got a good chuckle from Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, who told Finlay “what a bad [expletive] you are.”
“That’s a good roundabout question,” Peters replied with a laugh. “We look at everything. We want to make sure it’s the right player to be in our locker room, in our bloodstream, and in our culture. We look at that stuff — I mean, it’s not always the first thing we look at.
“Obviously, you’re looking at the tape, and you talk to the teams that the players have been on, and how they were in the locker room and the players who have played with them, and so on and so forth to make those decisions. But that’s not usually a huge part of it.”
Given the unhinged social media rants he’s had over the last few months, if the Commanders don’t want to bring Aiyuk into their locker room, it’s possible no other team would be willing to give him a chance either.
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