The 2026 Free Agency Thread

[Ashburn Dave]

Agree, it would in one move solve the whole problem IMO.

Pay that man his money, so we can move on already. Such a no brainer on the surface.

 

[formerly4skins]

You have it backwards, his situation is a bit more unique.

Most of the time when NFL players want leverage, they "Hold Out". But Aiyuk's situation is different from most NFL players. This is a rare case where he needs to "Hold In" as it were. He has absolutely zero leverage by staying away. He only gains leverage by showing up.

Holding "Out" (for Aiyuk) = Zero Leverage

• Is exempt from counting against the roster
• Does not hurt their Salary Cap
• The team does not pay him any Cash ever

Holding "In" (for Aiyuk) = High Leverage

• He now counts against the roster
• His contract hurts their Salary Cap
• The team has some Cash payments that come due over the summer and a gigantic sum that comes due in September.

I could be wrong here, but if Aiyuk walks through the door tomorrow, he doesn't just get to step onto the field...doesn't he have to pass a team physical first? Given that the 9ers front office has already blasted him for abandoning his team-mandated rehab program...isn't their medical staff almost certainly going to fail him and say it's due to his non-compliance?

Then if they're being petty, which they are...he's back on some non-playing reserve list, maybe working with the nflpa on some sort of grievance. But, now he's doing so having subjected his knee to a physical that's (in this scenario, at least) supported the notion that he screwed himself and didn't rehab properly.

Who knows though, maybe the knee is fine and this really is just a pissing contest.

 

[Chris 44]

Agree, it would in one move solve the whole problem IMO.

That actually kind of sounds promising

 

[Faithful Fan]

That actually kind of sounds promising

I do think the fact Diggs is from Montgomery County is a big plus, and there is no denying his talent and productivity or our need at the position.

However, he has some downsides. His character is in question, which could be a problem given how much emphasis DQ puts on culture. I also figure his age is a major concern, as it seems AP has prioritized getting younger after age caught up with the roster last season.

So I could see bringing in Diggs, but I can also understand passing on him.

 

[Discobob]

I could be wrong here, but if Aiyuk walks through the door tomorrow, he doesn't just get to step onto the field...doesn't he have to pass a team physical first? Given that the 9ers front office has already blasted him for abandoning his team-mandated rehab program...isn't their medical staff almost certainly going to fail him and say it's due to his non-compliance?

Then if they're being petty, which they are...he's back on some non-playing reserve list, maybe working with the nflpa on some sort of grievance. But, now he's doing so having subjected his knee to a physical that's (in this scenario, at least) supported the notion that he screwed himself and didn't rehab properly.

Who knows though, maybe the knee is fine and this really is just a pissing contest.

I think that's true... but bonuses still have to be paid. So if he reports and they try to NFI him, they'd still owe him that Sept 1st bonus... so ultimately, they'd still have to cut him. You're correct that they can still play hardball and make his life difficult for the rest of the summer.

 

[method man]

Agree, it’s unprofessional and embarrassing really. Any credible front office will stay a million miles away from Aiyuk.

Bad take. Jason Licht is not credible for signing AB for their Super Bowl run?

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

I’m more mystified as to why they haven’t snatched up Diggs. Good lord, that is a no brainer.

Devils Advocate here, maybe the Commanders also (like the Patriots) view Diggs as slot only, and think they're already set at slot with Chig and Antonio. They're still looking for another outside receiver.

Because otherwise, yeah, it seems like Diggs would improve things.

 

[formerly4skins]

JLC article he tweeted says that Aiyuk is gone before TC. Not sure that's considered a reliable source, but at least it's not anonymous

San Francisco 49ers Expected to Release Brandon Aiyuk Before Training Camp

The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly ready to move on from receiver Brandon Aiyuk after a contentious relationship. Aiyuk's off-field behavior and health concerns have led to the team losing interest in him. His future in the league remains uncertain as he is expected to become a free agent soon.

www.sportsboom.us

 

[SkinsFTW]

They claim to have answers but they really only have the same speculation as everyone else.

 

[RedWolf]

Here is my guess... they release him and we sign thim to a one-year prove it deal and he doesn't make it to the end of the year health wise

 

[RedWolf]

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

He’s saying “it’s Strange with a capital S” because he’s not allowed to get on TV and look into the camera and say “this guy is a fucking moron with a room temperature IQ, there’s not much else to say about it”

Just out of curiosity, why would he not be allowed to do that? Apart from the F bomb would be some violation. I believe the quote is attributed to Breer, and he's not an employee of any team, so he can look straight into a TV camera and say, "This guy is proof evolution has a sense of humor, he's the reason why instructions and "don't drink this" warnings are printed on shampoo bottles."

At least, I think he can...

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I think that's true... but bonuses still have to be paid. So if he reports and they try to NFI him, they'd still owe him that Sept 1st bonus... so ultimately, they'd still have to cut him. You're correct that they can still play hardball and make his life difficult for the rest of the summer.

I'm not sure that's true. I have heard multiple different reporters basically say if they put him on the did not report list, they don't pay him anything. Not bonuses, not salary, nothing.

I did a quick google search and it came up with at least 4 articles which back that up. Are they all accurate? I have no idea. But if you search for "Do the 49ers have to pay Barndon Aiyuk's roster bonus in September if he is on the Did Not Report list?" the answer it returns is "no" with a lot of supporting articles.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Here is my guess... they release him and we sign thim to a one-year prove it deal and he doesn't make it to the end of the year health wise

I actually think they might sign him to the practice squad and it's possible he doesn't make the roster.

It's also possible he returns to form and is a beast.

What I think would be absolutely hysterical is if they release him, and we don't sign him, and all the millions of pundits who have connected the dots were wrong.

FWIW, that's what I'm rooting for. For 2 reasons: 1) I just want to watch Rome burn, and 2) I really don't like diva headcase players who haven't played in 18 months coming off of injuries. (The second is more important than the first, but the first would be funny as hell.)

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Pay that man his money, so we can move on already. Such a no brainer on the surface.

I've pushed back on the "no brainer" aspect of this.

skinsinparadise has pointed out even though he played 70% of his snaps outside last year, he was more effective in the slot.

They currently have a complete glut of players at slot: Williams, Lane, McCaffery (though I really don't understand why they don't try him outside). You have 3 draft picks in the last 3 years who are all primary slot guys, and then signing another guy who's best in the slot, are you really solving anything?

What they really need is another outside guy, and really more than anything at all, they need an X in the event Terry goes down. I don't think Diggs is that guy.

As much as I actively don't want him, Aiyuk might be that guy.

Which might be the hesitation on Diggs and the supposed interest in Aiyuk.

Though, I will confess to a waffle. I was on the "sign Diggs" bandwagon for quite a while until I thought about it more. Now, I'm not so sure. I wouldn't be opposed to it, but I'm also not sure it solves the biggest problem.

With Aiyuk, you at least have the possibility of solving the problem. Though, I'm really opposed to signing him. Guy has shown the maturity level of a tween girl. As the father of a tween girl, I want my close to 30 professional football players to do better than that.

 

[Conn]

Just out of curiosity, why would he not be allowed to do that? Apart from the F bomb would be some violation. I believe the quote is attributed to Breer, and he's not an employee of any team, so he can look straight into a TV camera and say, "This guy is proof evolution has a sense of humor, he's the reason why instructions and "don't drink this" warnings are printed on shampoo bottles."

At least, I think he can...

National media personalities don’t speak about any player like that, out of a general fear of what the teams, personnel people, agents, other players who disagree, etc. might think.

Guys like Breer are the ultimate fence-sitters lol, Schefter and Rapaport as well. They won’t take an overtly negative stance on a player for the most part, outside of “anonymous sources are saying” type stuff. The business is too incestuous, they pretty much just trade information for reports, around in circles, and try not to burn any bridges.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I went through the last few pages of the thread, I keep on coming in and out because of work/family.

Question: has it been discussed Keim and Standig both have put out pods (and in Standig's case, multiple), somewhat implying the Commanders feel they are set at WR, and importantly, neither one of them really took a hard stance against it?

Keim put out a Pod "Why there is optimism around the O, John explains why the Commanders feel good even if they don't add another WR" and said something to the effect of, in his opinion, they didn't need another WR to be a good offense? He actually stumbled over this a few times, sometimes he said they need another WR to be a "very good" offense, and sometimes he said they could be a "very good" offense without adding anybody. It was a little unclear what he actually was saying, because he said both.

And Standig put out multiple pods on the subject, "Who comes after Terry" (June 3), "receiving threat" (June 8), and "Catching on" (June 9) where he's gone through the room, had Anthony Armstrong on to talk WRs, and also landed at the conclusion the second receiving option is probably Chig, and they can piece together the other outside guy with what they have.

They both said some form of "I think they should probably get another guy." However, they both countered that by saying they thought the team could be really good on offense even without it.

I'm separating the conversations with Mark Bullock, where he has said he believes the offense is going to focus on the middle of the field like it has in Detroit, so the slot, TE and running back are a real focus. The reasoning ends up in the same spot, however the reason I'm setting that aside is Mark Bullock is a Brit who lives in Sweden, and Al isn't a reporter, he's a host. They don't talk to people.

Keim and Standig do.

By the volume of what they are putting out, I am going to channel my inner skinsinparadise, I think they're hearing "things" from somewhere to go down this path so overtly. What exactly they are hearing and from whom, I'm not sure. However, both of them are going down this path at the same time. And reaching essentially the same conclusion. And that, to me, is interesting. Maybe not important, but certainly interesting.

If anything, it points to the team not doing anything now. Even if Aiyuk is released in the next 6 weeks, they might not do anything.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

National media personalities don’t speak about any player like that, out of a general fear of what the teams, personnel people, agents, other players who disagree, etc. might think.

Guys like Breer are the ultimate fence-sitters lol, Schefter and Rapaport as well. They won’t take an overtly negative stance on a player for the most part, outside of “anonymous sources are saying” type stuff. The business is too incestuous, they pretty much just trade information for reports, around in circles, and try not to burn any bridges.

I get all that.

I was really just picking on your word "allowed."

He's allowed to do anything.

He chooses to be diplomatic. Which is fine and his choice, and probably not a bad one, though in this case, I think he could say literally anything and nobody would blink.

But he absolutely could have been more forceful than "strange with a capital S."

Probably saying "He's got the intellectual horsepower of a lampshade" might be a bridge to far, but he could say it if he wanted to.

 

[Discobob]

I'm not sure that's true. I have heard multiple different reporters basically say if they put him on the did not report list, they don't pay him anything. Not bonuses, not salary, nothing.

I did a quick google search and it came up with at least 4 articles which back that up. Are they all accurate? I have no idea. But if you search for "Do the 49ers have to pay Barndon Aiyuk's roster bonus in September if he is on the Did Not Report list?" the answer it returns is "no" with a lot of supporting articles.

I may have not been clear in my post, but I was responding to a poster who suggested that San Francisco could put him on the non football injury list when he shows up. Basically making the argument that since he didn't show up for rehab he's not fit to play and that's not the team's fault.

#1 - I believe that would be immediately challenged by the nflpa (who would want to avoid the precedent that missing a rehab session transfers an injury to being non-football).

#2 - I believe players on the non football injury list get paid their bonuses, although they may forfeit their salary checks.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Standig said on a recent appearance, I think it was Sheehan if I recall, where he didn't feel like they did enough at WR. He's not a flame thrower so all his points are understated. But he's said a variation of the same point off the top of my head at least 5 times.

Keim either on a podcast or an interview of late, said flat out he thinks the offense will be good, not great if Terry is healthy with the current configuration, not good if Terry gets hurt again, needs to make an addition to WR if they want an offense that's great. That's his take.

I don't really care though what their opinions are. I like Keim for leaks. I like Standig for entertaining articles.

As I posted this week, the local media is divided on the WR room. The national media thinks it sucks. Washington fans seem divided and its a heated discussion -- it seems to me odd how heated it is, but digesting it I think its because not being into this WR corp translates to some not being into the idea that this team is going to make a big run or that the brass running this team kicks ass, and i get that it makes people upset -- since the off season is about dreaming big.

But to your point, yeah both Keim and Standig wrote articles recently about the team's point of view that the Wr corp is fine. It means nothing to me because they've earned no credibility for me on the subject. But that also hasn't quieted the Aiyuk to Washington stuff. The only reporter who seems to hedge on it is Standig. Otherwise seems like everyone expects it. And some national reporters, too.

Only interesting thing to me of late is that Diggs post. He seems to imply he's talking to Washington. If so, no other reporter seems to be on it. So wonder if Diggs misspoke or that tweet is off. But I'd love it to be true.