Getty Jahan Dotson looking ahead

San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk requested a trade on July 16, as the two sides have yet to come to an agreement on a future contract. Aiyuk, who played with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in college, has publically shown interest in joining the 2024 No. 2 pick in Washington.

The problem in an Aiyuk trade is that the 49ers are looking to win a Super Bowl, and most trades would hurt their chances of doing so if they traded him. Josiah Caswell of Pro Football Focus proposed a trade that could interest them, as they’d land Jahan Dotson, who could be a fit in the 49ers’ offense.

Commanders would get: Aiyuk

49ers would get: Dotson, 2025 second-round pick, 2025 fifth-round pick

“If it were entirely up to Aiyuk, the Commanders would likely be his landing spot. Friends with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, Aiyuk has been open about his interest in Washington. However, due to the 49ers’ steep price request, Washington would likely have to send one of its current wide receivers in addition to draft capital.” Caswell wrote on July 22.

Dotson Could Take a Similar Leap That Aiyuk Did

In the first two seasons of Aiyuk’s career, he combined for 1,574 yards, a respectable first two years in the NFL. Dotson has impressed in his first two campaigns for the Washington Commanders, too, posting 1,041 yards.

However, unlike Aiyuk, Dotson has yet to show that he can take the next step that the San Francisco 49ers star did. Aiyuk posted 1,342 yards in 2023 and 1,015 in 2022.

Caswell wrote that with Kyle Shanahan’s system, which is regarded as the best in the NFL, Dotson could possibly find similar success.

“For Dotson, this trade would give San Francisco another opportunity to develop a former first-rounder into a star. In Aiyuk’s first two seasons, he had 1,574 yards and 10 touchdowns,” Caswell wrote. “Dotson, on the other hand, has accumulated 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“With Kyle Shanahan’s system and Brock Purdy throwing the ball, Dotson could potentially experience a similar third-year leap as Aiyuk did.”

Aiyuk Would Be a Big Help to Daniels

The idea of trading for Aiyuk would be to help Daniels in his rookie season. After selecting him as the No. 2 pick, the expectation is that he’ll be the franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.

The Washington Commanders offense only had two players with 600-plus yards last season, and one of them was Curtis Samuel, who left in free agency to the Buffalo Bills.

Terry McLaurin has proven to be a No. 1 receiver, posting a 1,002-yard season in 2023-24, but he’s one of their only real threats on the offensive end.

Making Daniels’ life easier should be the focus, as it’s tough to ask a rookie to succeed if he doesn’t have weapons around him. Aiyuk would be the perfect one, as not only would he be able to help him as a player, but they also have a connection from when they played together at Arizona State.

The two have often been seen talking to one another, so there’s a bigger connection there than just football.

Having Aiyuk and McLaurin would give the Commanders one of the best duos in the NFL and could help speed up their rebuild process.