Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk kept up his unrelenting social media onslaught on the San Francisco 49ers with an explosive video posted on Instagram this week. Aiyuk, who has been in a standoff with the 49ers during the offseason, declared the Washington Commanders as his preferred destination once he departs coach Kyle Shanahan’s team.
Analyst Compares Brandon Aiyuk’s Antics to Antonio Brown
During this week’s segment of the “Speakeasy” podcast, former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho compared Aiyuk’s social media meltdowns to those of controversial former NFL star Antonio Brown.
“Brandon Aiyuk is on an early Antonio Brown trajectory, without the Antonio Brown talent,” Acho said. “Antonio Brown had six consecutive seasons like we’ve never seen in the NFL before and I remind you all, it wasn’t all of a sudden, it was subtle. Ended up as a flood, started out as a puddle. Brown did not start on Instagram crashing out.
“Brown just started running around saying, ‘Free me.’ Calling his grandma on Instagram live, cursing out general managers, that’s how it started. Brandon Aiyuk is on this Antonio Brown trajectory, without the Antonio Brown numbers to back it up. Just cause he’s on the trajectory doesn’t mean he will land there. More game, less talk. More game, less Instagram live, bro.”
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Brown was selected No. 195 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2010 NFL Draft. He went on to have one of the most legendary careers of a wide receiver in the NFL, managing seven Pro Bowl nods and four consecutive first-team All-Pro selections before off-field controversies derailed his career.
Brown led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards twice and in receiving touchdowns scored once and was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade team.
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During an appearance on this week’s segment of the “NFL Live” show, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed that Aiyuk’s stock had taken a huge nosedive since his standoff with the 49ers went public.
“He’s lighting money on fire is what he’s doing every time he puts an Instagram video out right now,” Fowler said. “So he is on the left squad list for the 49ers still. To get off that list, he has to apply to Commissioner Roger Goodell. He has to file paperwork. I’m told that hasn’t happened.
“I’m told the 49ers haven’t given any sort of firm indication to him whether he’s going to be cut, traded, whatever. Teams I talked to say that he’s essentially untradeable right now. I’ve talked to some people around the league who think that when he does get cut, if he gets cut, that he might have to sign a veteran minimum deal somewhere.”
Aiyuk had a career season in 2023, tallying 1,342 receiving yards on 75 receptions, resulting in 7 touchdowns, and according to PFSN’s WR Impact metric, was ranked the fourth-highest wide receiver in the league. He tore his ACL and MCL in 2024, leading to the current standoff with the 49ers.
