Pro Football Rumors
49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has made it plain he wants to leave San Francisco and join the Commanders. His most recent social media activity has undermined that effort, perhaps irreparably.
In an Instagram post directed at Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, Aiyuk said, “You on my team now. You follow my rules. Boy, I’m a grown a– man, boy. You gonna have to stop running your mama and I might believe what you’re talking about. But until then, [no]” (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
Aside from the fact that Aiyuk and Daniels are not, in fact, on the same team at the moment, the video is confusing without additional context. Florio attempts to provide some by referencing a recent video (NSFW warning) of a 49ers fan at a World Cup match repeatedly yelling “F— Brandon Aiyuk” at Daniels, who simply smiles and laughs.
Aiyuk published another Instagram post that has no audio and that shows Aiyuk holding a pair of cleats with a graphic that reads, “Let’s run it 5 (Daniels’ jersey number]! Let’s see! Need you available all [season] and I’ll do the same!” (h/t Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic).
These posts were made after Aiyuk unfollowed Daniels on Instagram. The third-year signal-caller reciprocated and posted a picture – presumably, although not certainly, in response to Aiyuk – of the NBA’s Kevin Durant looking upward and giving a double thumbs-down to the camera (h/t Jhabvala).
All of this would be easy enough to dismiss as a vaguely amusing but ultimately meaningless Gen Z-style spat, except that in Aiyuk’s case, it could have much deeper ramifications. His stint with the Niners has appeared over for some time, and while Washington GM Adam Peters was in the San Francisco front office when the 49ers drafted Aiyuk, it always seemed as if Aiyuk’s connection with Daniels would be the driving force behind a potential contract with the Commanders.
Daniels and Aiyuk were college teammates at Arizona State, and the Commanders are in clear need of an addition to their WR room. As Florio opined in a separate piece shortly before the social media feud, Daniels presumably wanted Aiyuk on the team, and Florio suggested Peters & Co. likely would have granted that wish (especially since it may take just a one-year, league minimum deal to make it happen).
At the moment, however, Florio believes the Commanders will not look to acquire Aiyuk, which is in keeping with a prior report indicating Washington is not anxious to make any WR additions. And Aiyuk’s lashing out at Daniels, who might otherwise have represented his best chance at resurrecting his career, is not going to make him any more appealing to other clubs that might have considered him. Indeed, his latest social media exploits are the latest installment in a series of bizarre actions that could blackball him from the NFL entirely.
For now, Aiyuk is on the 49ers’ reserve/left squad list. He will remain there until he petitions the league for reinstatement...
