Brandon Aiyuk’s social media run at the 49ers took another ugly turn Tuesday, and this time he aimed straight at Kyle Shanahan after the coach’s car crash in Palo Alto.
Aiyuk posted a pair of Instagram Stories two weeks after Shanahan suffered horrific injuries in the accident. The first said, "You can't win the race if you crash out (explosion and white flag emojis)"
The second appeared to reference Shanahan’s explanation of the crash, in which he said he was looking for his cellphone after it had disappeared into his seat while he was driving:
"Keep yo head up and stay in yo own lane. You gone win (checkered flag emoji)"
It was the latest in a string of posts from the San Francisco wide receiver, who has been taking shots at his own team on Instagram since last month. He has called the 49ers "b******" and said he wants to join the Washington Commanders so he can reunite with college teammate Jayden Daniels.
Aiyuk’s timing made the posts especially jarring. He has an active arrest warrant for reckless driving tied to a December 2025 incident in which he was accused of speeding past Levi’s Stadium.
The Commanders, meanwhile, were asked about Aiyuk from a different angle on Tuesday. Adam Peters, who was an assistant for 49ers general manager John Lynch when Aiyuk was selected in the first round in 2020, was in front of the media when NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay brought up the receiver’s online behavior.
Peters laughed off the question before giving a measured answer.
“That’s a good roundabout question. 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 the players have been on and how they were in the locker room, the players that played with them, and so on and so forth to make those decisions.
But that’s not usually a huge part of it.”
Aiyuk has not played since tearing his ACL and MCL against the Kansas City Chiefs in October 2024. He spent all of 2025 rehabbing, and the 49ers voided his 2026 guarantees for lack of participation.
In Other News...
Giants Suddenly Have A New Weapon Fans Never Expected
The Giants have quietly turned the running game into a real part of their offensive mix, and it showed up in a recent series against Milwaukee. San Francisco came away with six stolen bases in seven tries against a Brewers club that has been tough to run on all season, which made the aggressiveness stand out even more.
Milwaukees pitching staff and catchers are usually built to control that part of the game, so the Giants keeping pressure on the bases was notable on its own. San Francisco has been efficient there all year, and the only real blemish in that series came when Heliot Ramos was thrown out, leaving a small but interesting question about how far this new edge can carry them. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Just Took A Deadline Swing Fans Have Been Begging For
The Astros are still shopping for help at the front of their rotation, and Logan Webb naturally drew attention as one of the more appealing names on the board. He has the kind of long-term security contenders love, with contract control running through 2028, and his profile fits the sort of arm a deadline buyer would normally push hard to land.
For the Giants, though, Webb sits in a different category than most of the roster as the summer market takes shape. San Francisco is expected to listen on plenty of pieces, but Webb is viewed as a keep, even with Houston checking in and other starting-pitching options still in play around the league. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Face A Brutal Deadline Choice As Mariners Talks Heat Up
The trade market around Heliot Ramos has started to get louder as the deadline approaches, and it is easy to see why the Giants would at least listen. Ramos has become the kind of middle-of-the-order bat that plays in any lineup, while Seattle has been looking for more offensive punch and has the kind of pitching depth that can make a deal possible without stripping the roster bare.
For San Francisco, the appeal is obvious: a controllable starter who could help steady the rotation beyond this season and give the club a clearer path forward on the mound. For the Mariners, the attraction is just as clear, since adding a bat like Ramos could change the look of their offense right away. Nothing is done yet, but the fact that these talks are even circulating says plenty about how both teams are weighing present needs against what comes next. [Read more 🡒]