Many Seattle Seahawks fans might not like the idea of the team potentially signing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He is a polarizing player who may or may not have quit on the San Francisco 49ers. But that last part is why Aiyuk could be a fit in the Pacific Northwest.
A couple of things have to happen first. One is that Aiyuk needs to report to the 49ers' practice, and that is expected to happen on Friday. After not playing for two years and being placed on the 49ers' reserve/left squad list last December, the wideout applied for reinstatement.
Once he shows up, the team has a few options. One is to release him, another is to trade him, and the other is to keep him around. The last option seems unlikely due to the bad blood between the team and the player.
Seattle Seahawks could have a Brandon Aiyuk-sized opportunity soon
A trade might be unlikely, too. Teams might be nervous about giving any draft capital for a player they want to check out first. It is still a possibility.
The 49ers releasing him might be the most probable situation. San Francisco doesn't want him in the locker room, one would assume. A release is probably the only way the Seahawks would get involved because the 49ers trading the receiver to an NFC West rival wouldn't make much sense.
Seattle does need wideout help, though. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is having to carry even more of a load in the passing attack this year than he did last season, when he was carrying too much of a load, too. The Seahawks don't have players other than JSN who can get open, and this has limited the offense.
If Aiyuk is healthy enough to play, and that is the assumption after he injured his knee in October 2024, he has shown to be a quick receiver who can find holes in a defense. In 2023, he was named Second-Team All-Pro after catching 75 passes for 1,342 yards. He averaged 17.9 yards per reception.
Plus, if the 49ers release Aiyuk, that would add to his motivation to get revenge against a team that he believes slighted him. What better place to carry out that revenge than with the Seattle Seahawks or Los Angeles Rams? Brandon Aiyuk to the PNW could be a win-win for player and team.
Sure, there is a risk to bringing in the mercurial player, but general manager John Schneider has done that before. The GM even signed embattled cornerback Terrion Arnold before the season, and that is just as much of a risk as signing Aiyuk, if not more.
A lot of things need to happen before that situation could even exist. If Aiyuk shows up to the 49ers' practice on Friday and is released, though, Seattle should kick the proverbial tires on adding the wide receiver. Jaxon Smith-Njigba would certainly welcome the help. So would offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who coached Aiyuk when Fleury was in San Francisco.
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