San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s social media activity is reportedly starting to become a detriment to his future in the NFL.
During Sunday’s episode of SportsCenter, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler gave Aiyuk a reality check after the wideout sparked some controversy by calling out Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on Instagram.
“He continues to nuke his job prospects at this point,” Fowler warned. “I’ve talked to several teams about Brandon Aiyuk, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Is there any sort of sound strategy he’s employing here? And they can’t think of anything other than this is just sort of insensible.”
Aiyuk has been waiting all offseason for the 49ers to cut or trade him, and the Commanders appeared to be a viable landing spot for him because of his prior relationship with Daniels, who was his college quarterback at Arizona State. However, it appears that tensions boiled over when Aiyuk told Daniels in an Instagram story, “You gonna have to stop running behind your momma, and I might believe what you talkin’ bout.” The two of them unfollowed each other on social media.
Fowler went on to explain that Aiyuk’s antics are an obvious attempt to force his way out of San Francisco, but the 49ers have no reason to speed up their process of parting ways with him.
“Now, he obviously is trying to force the 49ers’ hand to cut him, but they haven’t done that, they haven’t tipped their hand,” Fowler said. “He’s on the left squad list, so he doesn’t count against the 53-man roster. They simply don’t have to do anything right now.”
After his latest tirade, Aiyuk may have burned his final bridge in the NFL, raising questions about whether any team would want him if he hits the open market.
“Washington was the one job that seemed like there was at least a small possibility, even though I didn’t even think they were going to sign him; they could go get a free agent like Stefon Diggs or Keenan Allen,” Fowler added. “So right now, where is somebody who loves him who can just take that phone away, put it in a safe far away at this point?”
