Brandon Aiyuk’s latest social media jab may have done more than stir up noise - it may have slammed the door on any real path to the Washington Commanders.
Aiyuk has been publicly backing Washington amid his fallout with the San Francisco 49ers, and the Commanders had been one of the teams tied to him because of his friendship with quarterback Jayden Daniels. But on Saturday, Aiyuk posted a video that took aim at Daniels’ relationship with his mother, Regina, who also serves as his NFLPA-certified agent.
“You on my team now,” Aiyuk said. “You follow my rules.
Boy, I'm a grown (expletive) man, boy. You're gonna have to start running behind your momma and I might believe what you're talking about.
But, until then, uh-uh.”
After the video surfaced, Aiyuk and Daniels seemingly unfollowed each other on Instagram. The two were teammates at Arizona State, though not at the same time: Daniels played for the Sun Devils from 2019 to 2022 before moving to LSU in 2023, while Aiyuk started at Sierra College in 2016 and later joined Arizona State in 2018.
Aiyuk’s time with the 49ers has already been headed in a rough direction. San Francisco drafted him with the No. 25 pick in 2020, and he later signed a four-year, $120 million extension in 2024. But he was limited after tearing both his ACL and MCL, then missed the entire 2025 season while recovering.
The 49ers voided his 2026 guaranteed money in November and placed him on the reserve/left squad list in December. The team still has him on that list, though reports point toward a release before the start of the 2026 season.
The reaction to Aiyuk’s behavior didn’t stop there. Former 49ers and Commanders general manager Scot McCloughan also weighed in Friday on the “Kevin Keenan Show,” saying he had warned people about Aiyuk’s makeup even as he acknowledged the receiver’s talent.
“When they drafted him, I said he is a No. 1 receiver talent-wise, but you be very, very careful with character,” McCloughan said (Timestamp-9:50). “At Arizona State, he got in trouble there, too.
Herm Edwards was the coach and he's like, 'Listen, he's a wildcard. We don't know if he's going to show up.
We don't know if he's gonna do anything, or he might come and have the best day of his career.'
“What he's done to the 49ers is embarrassing. What you're getting in your building is going to be the same thing. There will be good days, but there's gonna be bad days.”
Through 69 games, Aiyuk has 4,305 yards on 294 receptions and 25 touchdowns.
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