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Brandon Aiyuk’s increasingly routine embarrassing social media posts have already cost him the respect of some NFL coaches and general managers, and it’s costing him money. But what he did Tuesday could also cost him future job opportunities.
Aiyuk took to his Instagram account on Tuesday afternoon and made a not-so-subtle reference to Kyle Shanahan and the head-on collision the San Francisco 49ers coach was involved in earlier this month.
“You can’t win the race if you fall,” Aiyuk posted, without naming Shanahan.
KYLE SHANAHAN ‘IS CLOSE’ TO LOSING HIS RIGHT EYE IN HORRIBLE CAR ACCIDENT, NFL ANALYST REVEALS
Brandon Aiyuk #11 and Kyle Juszczyk #44 of the San Francisco 49ers in the locker room before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Estadio Azteca on November 21, 2022, in Mexico City, Mexico. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
On the next slide, Aiyuk added: “Keep your head up and stay in your own lane. You’re going to win.”
The IG story was added following news that Shanahan had suffered significant injuries, including multiple broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken hand and concussion symptoms, in a car accident for which he took responsibility when he dropped his phone while driving.
His Tesla veered into the oncoming lane and collided with a car traveling in the opposite direction.
So, yes, several NFL sources have told Pak Gazette Digital that they are disappointed, concerned and even upset by Aiyuk’s online activity. One said he was “disgusted.” Aiyuk seemed, at the very least, to mock and perhaps even celebrate his coach’s misfortune.
And why would Aiyuk be doing that?
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, right, fails to catch a pass against New York Jets cornerback Michael Carter II in the end zone during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, California, on Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
THE 49ERS HAVE SUCCEEDED IN ACQUISITING TALENT BUT FAILED IN ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION OF BRANDON AIYUK
Because he’s been feuding with Shanahan and the 49ers since 2024 and certainly last November when the club voided his guaranteed 2026 salary for failing to meet his obligations related to his rehab from an October 2024 ACL injury.
To be clear: Aiyuk is still under contract with the 49ers. But he will never play for them again. Both Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have said as much. Aiyuk is currently on the “reserve/left team” list and not in training camp with the team.
During his time away from the team, which dates back to last winter, Aiyuk seemingly went on a social media rampage.
He filmed himself driving at a ridiculous speed (perhaps up to 104 MPH) on the street adjacent to the 49ers’ training facility, prompting prosecutors to charge him with the California misdemeanor of exhibition of speed, alleging that he intentionally accelerated to excessive speed on a public road.
The case was largely based on the video that Aiyuk himself posted online.
Brandon Aiyuk (11) of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the field before the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Levi’s Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
There was also a post in which Aiyuk places a backpack full of cash on a shelf. He opens his backpack, takes out wads of bills, and repeatedly throws the money into the air and onto the ground. Then he closes the backpack, puts it on and walks away.
Aiyuk, clearly sending the message that he doesn’t need anyone’s money, deleted the video.
All of this while trying to get traded or prepare to be signed by another team if the 49ers release him.
Yes, strange.
One of the teams that has been most closely associated with interest in Aiyuk has been the Washington Commanders. They have an admitted need for help at wide receiver and quarterback Jayden Daniels played with Aiyuk when they were both in school at Arizona State.
The connection has been so obvious that a reporter asked Washington general manager Adam Peters on Tuesday about the weight of a player’s social media activity in evaluating him.
“That’s a good roundabout question,” Peters said with a laugh.
“Bada… you are,” head coach Dan Quinn told the reporter from his seat next to Peters. “Straight bada– right there.”
George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers are on the field at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas before Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs on February 11, 2024. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
Everyone understood the point of the question: Would the Commanders, who need talent at the position Aiyuk plays, consider adding Aiyuk despite his sometimes unhinged journey through social media?
Or would the team see the behavior for what it is: rebellious, anger-filled, and often just plain weird?
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“I mean, we looked at everything,” Peters said. “I mean, it’s a big question, but we look at everything and, you know, we want to make sure he’s the right player to be in our locker room, in our bloodstream and in our culture.
“And we often look at those things. It’s not always the first thing we look at. Obviously, you watch the tape and talk to the teams that the players have been on and how they were in the locker room, the players that have played with them and so on to make those decisions.
“But, you know, that’s usually not a big part.”
Peters paused.
“Usually,” he added.
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