In the last two months, Brandon Aiyuk has consistently gone after the San Francisco 49ers. It appears that almost every week, he’s throwing shade at general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan.
While the Niners have the wideout on the reserved/left squad list, Aiyuk hasn’t begun the process of getting himself off that list and forcing the team’s hand on a decision. Despite the player saying he wants to play for the Washington Commanders, that appears to be far from reality at this point.
As a result, former 49ers safety Donte Whitner shared his thoughts on the situation regarding Aiyuk, noting that the player handled it wrong at every corner.
“He lost his mind,” Whitner said during a July 20 appearance on “The Jim Rome Show.” “A lot of times when you get that type of money, I tell people it’s not easy. It does something to your ego. It gives you that God syndrome where you think you can do anything, say anything, and everything’s going to be okay. He just got caught up in that.
“All you have to do is show up and do what’s asked of you, and you receive almost your entire contract, even if you never touch the football field again. Then, when you feel like everybody’s against you, it just perpetuates it. I thought he should have just kept his mouth shut. He should have worked out.
“He should have shown up, even if he had disdain for the front office, the players, and the coaches. You know how normal guys handle that? They ask for a trade behind the scenes and still show up and do what’s asked of them. He did none of that. He went ghost.”
Is Brandon Aiyuk’s NFL Career Over?
Moreover, host Jim Rome asked Whitner whether he believes Brandon Aiyuk has played his last game in the NFL, and the former safety offered a grim outlook on the wide receiver’s future.
“I truly believe he’s played his last down in the NFL,“ Whitner added. “When you think about what happened with Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, a lot of these owners will collude. They’re friends. They’re business partners.
“And if you disrespect one organization, do you think they’re not on the phone telling other owners not to bring you into their organization? He’s a fool if he doesn’t think that. So, in my opinion, I think Brandon Aiyuk has played his last down in the NFL.“
49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk Gets Another Strong Message
Several former NFL players have been blunt with their advice to Aiyuk to try and help the wideout stay in the league. Former NFL linebacker Channing Crowder issued a strong message to Aiyuk to stay offline.
“Shut up,“ Crowder said in a July 18 video from “The Pivot.” “What’s the point of what he’s doing? Then he wants to go to Jaden. He wants to say, ‘I’m going to sign with the Commanders. ‘ And then he wants to say, ‘Hey, man, you got to defend me. ‘ When a fan yells at you, just be quiet. What’s the point? Why does the new-age athlete have to get out here and do all this stuff on social media?
“… Just shut up, go get that check and play football at a high level. That’s the thing I can’t understand about them. I don’t know what you’re doing or what your angle is… I don’t know if he has an angle on this because it doesn’t make sense. I’m going to badmouth them. I’m going to badmouth the guy I want to go play with. I’m going to badmouth my college teammate. Who’s in your circle?”
Donte Whitner Doesn’t Hold Back on 49ers, Brandon Aiyuk Situation