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Brandon Aiyuk’s increasingly routine cringe social media posts have already cost him the respect of some NFL coaches and general managers, and that is costing him money. But what he did on Tuesday might also cost him future job opportunities.
Aiyuk went on his Instagram account late 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 crash out,” Aiyuk posted, without naming Shanahan.
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On the next slide Aiyuk added, “Keep yo head up and stay in yo own lane. You gone win.”
The IG story was added following the news Shanahan had suffered significant injuries – including multiple broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken hand and concussion symptoms – in an auto accident he took responsibility for causing when he dropped his phone while driving.
His Tesla veered into an oncoming lane, hitting a car traveling in the opposite direction.
So, yes, multiple sources around the NFL have told Fox News Digital they’re disappointed, worried, and even upset about Aiyuk’s online activity. One said he is “disgusted” Aiyuk seemed to be at minimum mocking, and perhaps even celebrating his coach’s misfortune.
And why would Aiyuk be doing that?
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Because he’s been feuding with Shanahan and the 49ers dating back to 2024 and certainly last November when the club voided his 2026 guaranteed salary for failing to fulfill obligations related to his rehabilitation from an October 2024 ACL injury.
To be clear: Aiyuk is still under contract with the 49ers. But he’s never going to play for them again. Both Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have said as much. Aiyuk is currently on the “reserve/left squad” list and not at training camp with the team.
During his time away from the squad, dating back to last winter, Aiyuk has seemingly crashed out on social media.
He filmed himself driving at ludicrous speed (perhaps as high as 104 MPH) on the street adjacent to the 49ers training facility, leading prosecutors to charge him with the California misdemeanor offense of exhibition of speed, alleging he intentionally accelerated at excessive speed on a public roadway.
The case was based largely on the video Aiyuk himself posted online.
There was also a post in which Aiyuk sits a backpack full of cash on a shelf. He opens the backpack, pulls out wads of bills and repeatedly throws the money into the air and onto the floor. He then closes the backpack, puts it on, and walks away.
Aiyuk, clearly sending the message he doesn’t need anyone’s money, deleted the video.
All this while he was trying to get traded or set himself up to get signed by another team if the 49ers release him.
Yes, bizarre.
One of the teams that has been most closely connected to having an interest in Aiyuk has been the Washington Commanders. They have an admitted need for wide receiver help and quarterback Jayden Daniels played with Aiyuk when both were in school at Arizona State.
The connection has been so obvious that a reporter on Tuesday asked Washington general manager Adam Peters about the weight of a player’s social media activity when evaluating him?
“That’s a good roundabout question, right there,” 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.”
Everyone understood the point of the question: Would the Commanders, needing talent at the position Aiyuk plays, consider adding Aiyuk despite his sometimes unhinged ride through social media?
Or would the team see the behavior for what it is: rebellious, anger-filled, and often just strange.
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“I mean, we look at everything,” Peters said. “I mean, it’s a great question, but we do look at everything and, you know, we want to make sure it’s the right player to be in our locker room, in our bloodstream, and in our culture.
“And we often, we look at that stuff. It’s not always the first thing we look at. Obviously, you’re looking at the tape and you 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 and so forth to make those decisions.
“But, you know, that’s not usually a huge part of it.”
Peters paused.
“Usually,” he added.
FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO
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