Brandon Aiyuk’s latest run of social media outbursts has turned a contract mess into something much bigger, and Steve Young isn’t brushing it off as just football noise.
The Hall of Fame quarterback said Thursday at the American Century Championship in Nevada that he’s worried about the 49ers wide receiver on a personal level and would be open to reaching out.
"I worry for him," Young said on Thursday. "I feel like I want to reach out and help. This is beyond football, it feels like."
Aiyuk’s situation has been unraveling for months. He suffered a season-ending ACL and MCL injury during the 2024 season, which kept him out for the entire 2025 campaign.
Then in November, the 49ers voided the 2026 guaranteed money in his contract. A month later, in December, he was placed on the reserve/left squad list.
Since then, the relationship between Aiyuk and the organization has only gotten colder. He has fired off multiple posts aimed at the franchise and Kyle Shanahan, and at one point showed interest in the Washington Commanders.
That angle got murkier after he also took aim at Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in some of his posts. The 49ers, for now, have not released him.
The online drama also drew a sharp reaction from Colin Cowherd, who used Tuesday’s edition of "The Herd" to blast San Francisco for how it has handled the situation.
" The Rams do a much better job moving on from injured players or players with drama," Cowherd said. "The Niners either coddle or keep them in-house. That’s why the 49ers roster has become old, dramatic, brittle, and expensive.
"Brandon Aiyuk goes on Instagram and basically blows up any opportunity to play for a tremendous young quarterback in Jayden Daniels. The Commanders dodged a bullet here. That stuff was just bad, and I wish the Niners would have moved on years ago.”
Last season, San Francisco still reached the postseason despite a pile of injury issues, but its run ended with a divisional playoff loss to the Seahawks.
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