​Former Washington general manager Scot McCloughan has a caution for any team that ultimately acquires Brandon Aiyuk: proceed at your own risk. McCloughan, who led Washington’s front office from 2015 to 2016 and now serves as a draft consultant for several NFL teams, discussed Aiyuk on the Kevin Sheehan Show. He said he flagged the wide receiver’s talent alongside concerns about his character to the San Francisco 49ers’ front office before they drafted him in the first round in 2020 out of Arizona State. “When they drafted him, I said he is a No. 1 receiver talent-wise, but you need to be extremely careful with the character,” McCloughan said. “At Arizona State, he got in trouble there, too. Herm Edwards was the coach and he’s like, ‘Listen, he’s a wildcard. We don’t know if he’s going to show up. We don’t know if he’s going to do anything, or he might come and have the best day of his career.’”
McCloughan did not hold back about Aiyuk’s recent conduct amid his split from San Francisco. “What he’s done to the 49ers is embarrassing. Embarrassing,” he said. “What you’re getting in your building is going to be the same thing. There will be good days, but there are going to be bad days.” He stressed that any team acquiring Aiyuk would need a strong locker room to manage him. “If you have a locker room that can control that, then power to you,” McCloughan said. “But if you don’t, he’ll eat you up. It’s all about him, not about anybody else.”
Aiyuk has publicly voiced a desire to leave San Francisco, with the Washington Commanders reportedly among the interested teams. McCloughan’s remarks imply that teams signing him will be betting on his talent while accepting a well-documented volatility risk. Reports indicate Aiyuk’s recent behavior has begun to deter some suitors, but his future remains uncertain until the 49ers decide to release or trade him.