The trade deadline is right around the corner, and the NFL is seeing some blockbuster moves shake up teams in a major way. Quenton Nelson and Jeffery Simmons have already been moved, and speculation about Jonathan Taylor continues to grow.

Alongside those moves, Brandon Aiyuk is also taking steps toward a return to the gridiron. His latest move was a clear indication of that, and a former champion believes he has a team in mind where the veteran wide receiver could rebuild his image.

The Ideal Landing Spot for Brandon Aiyuk, According to Former Champion

The drama between Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers has gone on for too long. Originally drafted by them, he had a tremendous start to his career. In his final full season (2023), Aiyuk put together 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

That was good enough to rank No. 6 with a grade of 86.8 on PFN’s Wide Receiver Impact metric. He later earned a contract extension after a long, tense negotiation with the franchise. Unfortunately, a brutal injury midway through the 2024 season derailed his career.

With a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus, he missed the rest of the year. But his relationship with the team deteriorated further after he stopped reporting to the facility and communicating with coaches and staff. He was placed on the reserve/left squad list in December 2025.

Since then, John Lynch has said it is safe to say Aiyuk has played his last snap with the 49ers, while Kyle Shanahan has said the organization has had to move on from the situation. Recently, he hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, signaling an intent to return to the field.

Aiyuk is not currently a free agent, however, as he remains on San Francisco’s reserve/left squad list and would first need to seek reinstatement before the 49ers can resolve his contractual status and clear a path for him to join another team.

But for LeSean McCoy, there aren’t a ton of teams that are lining up to sign someone with as complicated a history as Aiyuk.

Instead, in the latest episode of the “Speakeasy” podcast, he explained that the only spot that made sense for the veteran was with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“If anybody can control a player…Think about all the stuff you heard about all these other players, like Tyreek Hill and all, he ain’t had that with the Chiefs. Myself, DeSean Jackson, we didn’t have any issues with Andy Reid,” McCoy said.

Add in the legendary talent on the roster, like Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, and Mahomes, and McCoy believes that there isn’t any room for attitudes in a locker room with that level of talent.

“Pack that baggage and that ego at the door. Right here, you’re not gonna play. If you come in here and you’re on that [expletive], you’re not gonna play. So you’re only wasting your time. So I think Andy Reid is the perfect guy for him.”

Explaining the other side of the equation, he also believed that the Chiefs and Reid would be among the few teams that would give Aiyuk a fair chance. Pointing to the legendary head coach’s history of giving people second chances, he even pointed to recent instances.

“Andy Reid’s all about giving people second chances. When Michael Vick went through all that dog stuff, nobody wanted Mike Vick. You know who took him? Andy Reid,” McCoy added.

Similarly, the Chiefs brought in Justin Tucker last week to join their practice squad after he served a 10-game suspension in 2025 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy following allegations of improper behavior by multiple massage therapists.

The Chiefs clearly need help at the wide receiver spot, with rumors flying around about their aggressiveness in the trade market to find the right pass-catching help for Mahomes. So a move for Aiyuk could theoretically make sense.

But it will be interesting to see if they pursue such a move in light of the controversy surrounding the Tucker addition.