Brandon Aiyuk’s offseason campaign to escape the San Francisco 49ers has drawn plenty of opinions, but one of his former mentors thinks his time in the NFL is likely over. Even more, he doesn’t think the Washington Commanders should even consider bringing him into their building.
Former NFL wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who was at one point Aiyuk’s personal receiver coach, didn’t mince words on Speakeasy when discussing the possibility of the disgruntled receiver joining the Commanders. Aiyuk has publicly stated his preference to sign with the Commanders once he’s free of the 49ers, but Houshmandzadeh doesn’t think it should even get to that point. Houshmandzadeh went so far as to say that Commanders general manager Adam Peters should lose his job if he signs Aiyuk.
“Adam Peters, you sign Brandon Aiyuk, the Commanders should fire you the day you sign him,” Houshmandzadeh said. “He might not step foot in an NFL stadium again if he don’t shut the [expletive] up. Like, what is he doing?”
The former receiver’s central argument is that a change of scenery wouldn’t fix the underlying issue. He questioned why Washington would assume it’s immune to the same dynamic that’s now playing out in San Francisco, even invoking Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ close friendship with Aiyuk as a potential complication rather than a selling point.
“What makes y’all any different than the San Francisco 49ers? You don’t think he going to do to you what he’s doing to them?” Houshmandzadeh said. “If I’m Jayden Daniels, B.A. is my boy. If it doesn’t work out, is he still going to be my boy? So do I even want to see if it will work out? ‘Cause I may ruin a relationship over sports.”
Aiyuk, who signed a four-year, $120 million extension in 2024 before suffering ACL and MCL injuries, has not played since Week 7 of that season and has yet to file for reinstatement. He has been in a very public dispute with the 49ers since the team voided his guaranteed money in 2025 after he refused to show up to the team facility. Now, the two sides are embroiled into a dispute where the 49ers have no incentive to release him but perhaps want to rid themselves of a distraction.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Ex-NFL WR says Commanders GM should be fired if he signs Brandon Aiyuk
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