The situation between Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers remains unchanged, with the receiver wanting out and signaling his frustration on social media. San Francisco, however, is not considering a release and would rather work out a trade.
Aiyuk also didn’t take the first step toward ending his Reserve/Left Squad status by reporting to OTAs. For now, the 49ers hold the leverage as long as he stays away from the facility, leaving the next move up in the air.
For now, any updates on the matter are coming from Aiyuk, who is making it clear he wants to play for the Washington Commanders once this situation with the Niners is over.
Nonetheless, with Aiyuk constantly going to Instagram to express his thoughts on the matter, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho stated that the Niners wideout is heading down the same path as ex-Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, whose career went off the rails.
“Brandon Aiyuk is on an early Antonio Brown trajectory without the Antonio Brown talent,” Acho said on the June 24 edition of “Speakeasy.” “Antonio Brown had six consecutive seasons like we’ve never seen in the National Football League before. I remind you, it wasn’t all of a sudden; it was subtle.
“What ended up as a flood started as a puddle. Antonio Brown did not start on Instagram, crashing out. No, Antonio Brown started running around saying ‘Free me,‘ calling his grandma, if I’m not mistaken, on Instagram Live, cussing out general managers.
“That’s how it started. Go to his Instagram, which I’ve blocked, to see how it ended. Brandon Aiyuk is on this Antonio Brown trajectory without the Antonio Brown numbers to back it up, and that is my fear.”
Brandon Aiyuk Can Avoid Going Down Antonio Brown Path
Despite the Brown take from the former linebacker, Acho still believes that Aiyuk can turn his situation around and avoid the ending to his NFL career that the former Steeler wideout had.
“Now, just because he’s on the trajectory does not mean he will land there,“ Acho added. “It just means that’s currently the destination that his airplane is on. Hopefully we can reroute it and bring it back to normalcy. You saw what George Kittle said about Brandon Aiyuk just the other day.
“So for me, I do not like the consistent social media, I won’t call them outbursts, but I just don’t like the trajectory that Brandon Aiyuk is on. More game, less talk. More game, less Instagram Lives.”
Richard Sherman Weighs In on 49ers, Brandon Aiyuk Rift
With the situation not really advancing beyond the various updates Aiyuk shares on Instagram, former 49ers standout Richard Sherman shared his thoughts on the rift between the team and the player.
“We’re in this situation where everybody’s like, they shouldn’t just hold on to him. Well, they’re going to do what’s best for them,“ Sherman said on the June 24 edition of “The Richard Sherman Podcast.“
“They’re going to do what’s best for their franchise in terms of the opponents they’re going to see, how they’re going to play this season, cap situation, everything.
“At some point, they’ll release him. If he shows up and gets reinstated and forces their hand, I’m sure that he’ll get released that day and maybe the Washington Commanders pick him up.”
49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk Draws Harsh Antonio Brown Comparison