Brandon Aiyuk’s latest run on social media has only made his NFL future look shakier, and former 49ers safety Donte Whitner didn’t soften the blow on his podcast, The Grit Code.
Aiyuk has spent the past month posting strange content, taking shots at the San Francisco 49ers, pretending to be signed to the Washington Commanders, and going after Jayden Daniels. The noise has only fueled the idea that he could be a problem in any locker room, not just a talented player coming off a rough stretch.
Whitner said Aiyuk crossed a line with the way he handled things.
"What I'm going to say is Brandon Aiyuk sealed his fate," Whitner said. "Brandon Aiyuk will never play another down in the NFL.
Yeah, you went at the 49ers front office and their coaching staff. You were very disgruntled, but the only chance you had was Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.
That was the only person you had to go to battle for you."
"And for Brandon Aiyuk to not understand that and go on social media and attack Jayden Daniels and his mom, you sealed your fate… So sometimes burning bridges is okay. Not in this instance. So I think that's rest in peace for Brandon Aiyuk's career."
The timing of all this matters, too. Aiyuk hasn’t played since tearing both his ACL and MCL in 2024, and there’s no clear answer yet on whether he can return to the level he once reached. He also apparently went AWOL on the 49ers last season, which already left plenty of questions hanging over him.
Instead of easing those concerns, Aiyuk’s social media spree since June began has only sharpened them. The picture now is of a player teams may view as more trouble than he’s worth, even if he would come cheap.
There’s still a chance the tone changes once the 49ers finally release him, but Aiyuk has already said he plans to keep flooding social media with posts. That leaves the Commanders angle looking even worse after he took aim at their franchise quarterback.
For now, the outlook is bleak. Aiyuk’s career appears closer to the end than a comeback, and the damage, at least in this telling, is of his own making.
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