NFL insider Mike Garafolo expressed uncertainty about Brandon Aiyuk's desire to continue playing football, suggesting the 49ers might be mirroring Aiyuk's previous holdout tactics. Garafolo advised Aiyuk to report to the team to protect himself from injury and secure his contract guarantees, while also hinting that the Commanders might have more insight into Aiyuk's situation
Terry McLaurin expressed enthusiasm for new Commanders OC David Blough's stated intention to target him roughly 10 times per game. McLaurin feels Blough has been consistent with his communication and that offseason workouts have shown a commitment to integrating him heavily into the offense, which he believes will also benefit other players and help the team win
The NFL schedule released last week and we got a nice injection of fantasy football debate and content to further fuel the offseason. The next stop is OTAs, which begin for most teams this week or next. Below we’ll go over some lingering questions and storylines that we’ll be monitoring during OTAs and as we progress toward the summer and minicamps and training camp. We got a report from ESPN’s Jordan Raanan last week that Nabers underwent a second procedure on his right knee that needed surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered in Week 4 of the 2025 regular season. It was just a “clean-up” of the knee, that also needed a meniscus repair. Ummm, okay. So initially the timeline was for Nabers to be ready for training camp in July. The Giants remain hopeful Nabers will be ready for Week 1 when the team takes on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football at home. But let’s be real, all of that feels like a best case scenario for Nabers. As a fantasy manager, it looks like a blatant red flag. Right now, Nabers’ early average draft position, per FantasyPros, is 19.7, putting him as the WR7 off the board. We should see that number continue to fall down; Nabers was being viewed as an early second-round pick before this news. At some point his ADP will stabilize and he’ll either be a risky choice or a value depending on how his recovery progresses over the summer. San Francisco and Aiyuk are headed for a breakup after a messy saga the past season. Aiyuk didn’t play at all in 2025 and missed most of 2024 due to injury after signing a massive four-year, $120 million deal after two consecutive seasons over 1,000 receiving yards. Aiyuk. hasn’t been released yet, but whenever that ball drops, it’ll be interesting to see where the disgruntled wideout lands. Rumors have him going to Washington to pair up with Jayden Daniels . The Commanders drafted Clemson WR Antonio Williams to pair with Terry McLaurin , but there’s not much depth outside those two (unless you count Luke McCaffrey ). Wherever Aiyuk lands, it won’t alter the the fantasy landscape, but he’s still someone who could take some targets away from other receivers. Depending on how healthy he is and where he signs, Aiyuk could be an interesting sleeper late in drafts. Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season We were all just waiting for this ball to drop really. The expectation was always for Rodgers to either retire or return to Pittsburgh for a second season . He has a familiar new head coach in Mike McCarthy and a few more weapons in the passing game in Michael Pittman Jr. and newly-drafted WR Germie Bernard . The 42-year-old had a few fantasy-relevant weeks in 2025 but Rodgers is mostly just a streaming option in deeper formats . Still, his return is good news for DK Metcalf , Pittman and Bernard when you consider Mason Rudolph or Will Howard would have been the alternatives. Diggs was recently back in the news after being acquitted after an alleged dispute with a private chef . So it seems teams are eyeing the veteran wideout to add depth as we head into OTAs. Some teams being rumored as a landing spot for Diggs include the Ravens, Chiefs and Commanders. With the Patriots last season, Diggs finished as the WR28 in fantasy points per game. With 85 catches on 102 targets for over 1,000 yards and four touchdowns. Diggs was coming off a torn ACL suffered while with the Texans in 2024. The 32-year-old veteran showed he still has something left in the tank and could be a late-round target depending on where he lands. Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament A lot of the questions we want answered are for injured players. Jones being one of them after rupturing his Achilles late in the 2025 season. He’s been progressing in his recovery and more recently has been dropping back and throwing the football. He may participate in 7-on-7 drills at OTAs, which would be huge for his prospects of [... truncated ...]
The NFL's international game expansion is highlighted with the San Francisco 49ers scheduled to play games in both Melbourne, Australia, and Mexico City. This decision is criticized for the excessive travel and impact on traditional scheduling, with the 49ers facing both the Rams and the Vikings in international matchups
The San Francisco 49ers selected eight players in the 2026 NFL Draft, using a couple of trades to move down the board and take their guys in a unique draft class without much depth. The 49ers entered the draft holding only six selections, but moved back in the first and second rounds to acquire more capital for the 2026 draft and for 2027. The headliner was wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, who was taken at No. 33 after San Francisco went back from No. 27 to No. 30 and then No. 33. The Stribling pick was seen as one of the more polarizing ones for the 49ers in the draft, with many pushing back on it as a perceived reach, given that he was seen as a consensus late second-round pick. But, head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers staff were quite high on the Ole Miss product, who seems to be a quality fit in the offense with his size, play style, and athletic profile. Behind him, San Francisco took Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height, Indiana running back Kaelon Black, Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton, Washington offensive lineman Carver Willis, Washington cornerback Ephesians Prysock , Louisiana linebacker Jaden Dugger, and Kansas offensive lineman Enrique Cruz. Could any of them realistically start for the 49ers in 2026? Stribling’s case is interesting because he feels like a pick for the future with San Francisco having Mike Evans , Ricky Pearsall , and Christian Kirk in the fold currently. The 49ers had a similar selection with Ricky Pearsall in 2024 when they still had Brandon Aiyuk , Deebo Samuel , and Jauan Jennings on the roster, but injuries prompted Pearsall to start four games as a rookie before starting in nine last season. Stribling feels better suited to take on the Mike Evans role in the future, but he could also earn some slot reps alongside Christian Kirk. At the moment, he feels like San Francisco’s No. 4 or No. 5 receiver heading into the season. San Francisco’s second pick, edge rusher Romello Height, is more of a situational pass-rusher with his current speed and size. The 49ers have Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams on the edge, so Height likely won’t start any games in 2025. But he could fill the Bryce Huff role as a speedy pass rusher who could impact passing downs in a situational setting. Kaelon Black, the 49ers’ polarizing third-round pick, likely won’t start either, as he slots behind Christian McCaffrey in the backfield. The better question, however, is if he’ll push Jordan James and/or Isaac Guerendo for the No. 2 running back role. Carver Willis probably has the best shot of any rookie to start for the 49ers, given the vacancy at left guard. The 49ers should have an open competition there, with free agent signees Brett Toth and Robert Jones fighting with 2025 seventh-round pick Connor Colby for the starting spot. Willis could figure in that mix, and several have projected him in that role. But he’s also harder to project as a tackle converting to guard ahead of his first NFL season. Gracen Halton was universally lauded as a player drafted later than where the consensus had him, but he’s also likely to compete for a situational role at defensive tackle behind Osa Odighizuwa , Alfred Collins , C.J. West, Kalia Davis , and others as a rookie. As for San Francisco’s other Day 3 picks, none of them look like immediate plug-and-play starters, but Prysock and Dugger could earn early snaps on special teams with their athletic profiles. The 49ers will need rookies and younger players to contribute as they look to compete for a championship again in 2026. So we’ll see who emerges from the group, but the 49ers were looking fairly complete before the draft, so there aren’t many starting spots available for rookies this offseason
Editor’s note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy! ESPN They could opt for someone not currently on the team — whether that’s waiting on Brandon Aiyuk , who isn’t yet available, or Stefon Diggs , who is free. Or they could opt for internal development, hoping that third-round rookie Antonio Williams emerges early. Multiple league sources, as well as former coaches and executives, acknowledge the Commanders could use someone else alongside McLaurin, their top target since he entered the NFL as a third-round pick in 2019. Washington’s other receivers are too unproven to predict one could emerge as a strong No. 2 option. The Commanders did sign tight end Chig Okonkwo in free agency. And, under new coordinator David Blough , it’s likely they’ll run more two- and three tight end sets. That would cut down on how often they need a third wideout, but regardless a solid second receiver is desired. Meanwhile, Washington has been content to wait. The Commanders have more knowledge about Aiyuk than most teams because Peters was an assistant GM in San Francisco from 2020-2023. They also have quarterback Jayden Daniels , who played with Aiyuk for one year at Arizona State and remains close with him. With McLaurin in place, Diggs wouldn’t need to be the lead receiver in Washington. And, as one person who used to work for Washington said, Diggs gives the coaches a player who can make an immediate impact; he can play in the slot or the flanker position in a two-receiver set. It also would give the rookie Williams a chance to develop. Washington was ecstatic being able to land Williams, with one coach saying he might have been a first-round pick if he’d left school after his 2024 season. Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Williams can play “multiple spots.” Williams is considered more of a slot receiver, though he did play outside on occasion at Clemson. In a 34-3 loss to Georgia in 2024 — an outing that stood out for Washington’s decision makers — Williams caught six passes for 76 yards while playing outside and facing mostly press coverage. JP Finlay As the game continued and went to overtime it got even weirder. Normally in the U.S. the media works from the press box and there’s devoted elevators to get us down to the field level for postgame. Not in Wembley. At the bottom of the lower section of seats, there was a gate down to the track before the field. Next to the gate was a big burly security guard standing there. Before Dustin Hopkins lined up to win the game in overtime with a field goal, I walked down to the gate. I told the security guard I needed to get to the field. He replied – sternly – nobody gets on the field until the game is over. He didn’t seem thrilled with me. I explained that once Hopkins makes this kick, the game will be over. It’s sudden death. The security guard didn’t flinch. Nobody on the field until the game is over. My concern was I was supposed to be on TV within 5 minutes of the game ending, and the layout in Wembley meant we were on the opposite side of the field from the live shot location and it was going to take some time to get over there. I didn’t quite make a scene but I made it clear I wasn’t happy. I kind of squatted in the row near the gate and announced my intention to run to the live shot as soon as the kick went in. Only it didn’t. Hop missed a chippy. And the game continued. Commanders Most of Stevens’ day at Washington Commanders’ rookie minicamp was spent away from the rest of the players on the field. He worked with the long snapper and holder who were invited for a tryout hitting field goals at different distances. He had not kicked in the four days leading up to practice, but that did not stop him from hitting a 53-yarder in windy conditions. “I could have gone further back,” Stevens said. “I’m ju
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Ricky Pearsall, the 49ers' 31st overall draft pick in 2024, has been an injury-plagued disappointment through his first two seasons, recording 67 receptions for 928 yards and three touchdowns in 20 games. Despite playing in only nine games in 2025 with 36 receptions for 528 yards and no touchdowns, the 49ers still appear to view him as part of their long-term plans. However, the team's significant offseason additions at wide receiver, including Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, along with the drafting of De'Zhaun Stribling, suggest uncertainty about Pearsall's reliability. Pearsall, currently ranked as the No. 47 dynasty WR by RotoBaller, is considered a risk/reward buy-low candidate, especially as he is expected to be fully healthy this summer
It's been a surprise that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee), who hasn't played since tearing his ACL in October of 2024, is still with the San Francisco 49ers, with April coming to an end this week. In January, general manager John Lynch said that it was "safe to say" that Aiyuk had played his last snap with the organization. Lynch later said an Aiyuk-related move would come before the new league year started on March 11. In late March, Lynch said he didn't have a date when asked when the 49ers might release Aiyuk, and he also added that "we're in no rush to do that." The 49ers were discussing a trade of Aiyuk in the lead-up to last week's NFL draft, but nothing came to fruition. Lynch seemed to indicate that if Aiyuk wasn't traded during the draft, they might finally release the former first-rounder. The Niners don't appear to be in any rush to do Aiyuk any favors after a lengthy contract dispute in 2024 before his season-ending knee injury that year. Aiyuk then stopped showing up for his rehab last year, at which point the team voided the remaining guarantees on his contract. The Athletic's Matt Barrows thinks the team's first organized team activity practice on May 27 might be an "unofficial marker" for Aiyuk's release. The 28-year-old former 25th overall pick in 2020 out of Arizona State had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, but he's coming off a major knee injury, which will make him a huge question mark in 2026 fantasy football leagues. The Commanders appear to be the likeliest landing spot for Aiyuk if he's eventually released, potentially linking up with former college teammate, QB Jayden Daniels
The Washington Commanders are expected to have interest in wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk if he is released by the San Francisco 49ers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. There seems to be a bit of a stalemate at this point in the offseason. The Niners have said they are in no rush and would like to trade Aiyuk. However, they've also said that Aiyuk will not play for them in 2026, so at some point, if a trade doesn't come to fruition, he'll have to be released. As a result, the Commanders are in no rush because they expect him to become a free agent before the regular season. Therefore, while Aiyuk to the Commanders is not imminent, it does seem like Washington is the early favorite to acquire him. He'd offer an enormous boost to their wide receiver room, which is relatively thin behind Terry McLaurin. Aiyuk hasn't played an NFL snap since 2024, when he tore his ACL seven games into a 25-catch, 374-yard campaign
The San Francisco 49ers are still "hoping and trying" to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk this offseason, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. There had been plenty of speculation that Aiyuk would be released before the draft, and when that didn't happen, questions started arising about his future with the organization. Then, the 49ers selected Mississippi wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling with the 33rd overall pick, and that all but confirmed Aiyuk remains a non-factor in the team's future plans. At this point, it remains unclear how long the 49ers will wait to find a trade partner. Presumably, they would want this entire Aiyuk saga to be resolved sooner rather than later, and potential trade partners would also like to get a deal done so that they can know what their roster will look like next season. The end of the draft could be a turning point in negotiations, so we wouldn't be surprised to see Aiyuk dealt in the next week or so. He hasn't played an NFL snap since 2024, when he tore his ACL seven games into a 25-catch, 374-yard campaign
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said at his pre-draft press conference on Monday that he doesn't think there's a "high probability" that the team will trade disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) during the 2026 NFL draft this weekend, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. However, Lynch said there's still a chance Aiyuk is traded, and the team has had talks with specific teams about a potential trade. The Niners are trying to see if they can get anything for the 28-year-old former first-rounder out of Arizona State. If they don't find a trade to their liking, they are expected to release Aiyuk, who missed all of the 2025 season due to a serious knee injury that he suffered early on in 2024. The Washington Commanders are a popular projected landing spot, as it would give him a chance to reunite with quarterback Jayden Daniels, whom he played with in college. Given Aiyuk's uncertain destination in 2026 while coming off a major knee injury, he's a true wild card that will be cheap for fantasy managers in drafts later this year
49ers GM John Lynch said the team has discussed a possible Brandon Aiyuk trade with teams. Lynch didn't rule out the possibility of Aiyuk being traded during the NFL Draft this week, but he also didn't completely rule it out. The 49ers don't have to be in a rush to make a move as they have until the start of September when they would have to start paying him. This will remain a situation to monitor to see if a deal can get done this week
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