Brandon Aiyuk is still languishing on the reserve/left squad list even after the San Francisco 49ers started training camp on Saturday. Aiyuk has been publicly angling for a move away from San Francisco and has become one of the main storylines of the NFL offseason due to his social media barbs aimed at the franchise.
Brandon Aiyuk Still Angling for Commanders Move
A report by The Athletic’s Matt Barrows and Nicki Jhabvala on Monday revealed that Aiyuk was still hopeful of a move to the Washington Commanders.
“Reached by text message on Friday, Aiyuk replied, “AP (Adam Peters) and DQ (Dan Quinn) quietly put together a SQAUD (squad)! I’m the final peice (piece) that will swing all the odds in our favor (trophy emoji) #GOCOMMANDERS #RAISEHAIL,” the report noted.
Aiyuk has stated his preference for a move to the Commanders several times during the NFL offseason, even donning their colors in clips posted on Instagram. A few weeks ago, that move was put in doubt after the wide receiver seemingly picked Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels as his new target on an Instagram tirade.
On Saturday, 49ers general manager John Lynch, who has been caught up in Aiyuk’s social media tirades, revealed how the franchise was approaching the tense situation.
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“Brandon Aiyuk, I know you guys are going to have a lot of questions. Brandon is on a ‘left squad’ designation,” Lynch said. “As such, he’s not on our 90-man roster. I’m, personally, and we as an organization are going to focus on the players that are here. So, I don’t have anything to say on that, anything to add on that. We wish him well. We wish his family well.”
A few weeks ago, Aiyuk posted a lengthy clip on Instagram revealing that he had fired his agent, Ryan Williams, and accused Williams of a conflict of interest, since Williams also represents Lynch, and said the two were “predators,” amid the fallout from the 49ers voiding his guaranteed money for the 2026 season.
Aiyuk had a career season in 2023, earning the league’s sixth-highest PFN Wide Receiver Impact score after tallying 1,342 receiving yards on 75 receptions, resulting in 7 touchdowns.
The wide receiver was rewarded for a sensational 2023 season with a mammoth four-year, $120 million contract.
He tore his ACL and MCL after just seven games in 2024, ruling him out for the rest of the season. Aiyuk reportedly missed several mandatory rehabilitation sessions with the 49ers’ medical staff, leading the team to void the guaranteed money in his lucrative contract and kick-starting the standoff between the parties.
Aiyuk would have to apply for reinstatement with the league before being traded or released.
