The forthcoming Brandon Aiyuk exit from the San Francisco 49ers has been televised — at least on Instagram.
Aiyuk and the 49ers are embroiled in a dramatic, messy exit, with the wide receiver seemingly having played his last down in San Francisco. Aiyuk has made as much clear, with numerous rants, posts and disparaging remarks about his soon-to-be former organization hitting social media throughout the offseason.
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With training camps set to open in coming weeks, Aiyuk remains on the 49ers roster, something that was somewhat unexpected given his demeanor towards his employer.
Aiyuk added to his social media exploits on July 18, with the wide receiver taking aim at his head coach once again.
“Coach want me back so I can draw all the coverage and make it easy for the guys that remind him of himself back in his heyday,” he posted on his Instagram story, with a thumbs down emoji, a man emoji and a garbage can emoji.
Here’s how the Aiyuk saga has unfolded across phone screens this offseason:
June 6: Aiyuk posts photo wearing Commanders hat
As if there was any doubt which team Aiyuk had his eye on whenever his post-49ers career gets underway, he put that to rest with an Instagram story in which he was wearing a Washington Commanders cap.
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Aiyuk seemingly has his eyes on a reunion with quarterback Jayden Daniels, with whom he was a teammate with Arizona State in 2019.
June 6: Aiyuk posts lengthy rant on IG story
Hours after the hat photo hit Instagram, Aiyuk went on a minute-plus long rant, seemingly about the 49ers, but didn’t explicitly name the organization.
The wide receiver references that the team is “scared,” but declines to speak in specifics as to what that might mean.
“The truth is, they’re scared,” Aiyuk said. “They’re scared. They know how I get. They’re gonna say, ‘Oh yeah, BA did this. BA did that.’ You know that (expletive). Allegedly. Allegedly. But what they’re not gonna say is, ‘BA sucks at football,’ because they know how I get.”
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“Man, stop running from the belt,” Aiyuk added. “The belt coming.”
MORE: 4 reasons Commanders might take risk on Brandon Aiyuk despite messy 49ers exit
June 9: Aiyuk slams ‘dumb’ 49ers
In the next salvo against his employer, Aiyuk took to Instagram to blame the team for, what he feels, is their own financial miscalculations.
Referencing the fact that the 49ers voided guaranteed money in his contract thanks to the communication breakdown with the team, Aiyuk says the team is “stupid and dumb” for the way they handled his contract situation.
“You wanna know why they’re really mad though?” Aiyuk said. “They’re mad because they’re stupid and dumb. They’re mad that they paid me $50 million in eight months and then voided my guarantees for 2027. And I’m about to be on a new team in 2027.”
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While Aiyuk mentions 2027, he’s likely referring to the guarantees in his contract which remained for 2026.
On Saturday, June 27, Aiyuk strengthened his stance with some strong language for the 49ers.
Still awaiting his release or a trade, Aiyuk made it clear with another Instagram story post that he’s completely done with the organization – as if there was any doubt on his part before.
“Take me off yo bum-(expletive) team,” Aiyuk wrote. “Tf is the hold up?”
He later jabbed Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, saying he won’t be exchanging Christmas cards with either of them.
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“We is not cool,” Aiyuk said of 49ers brass. “We won’t be cool, and I will never be stepping in that building (Levi’s Stadium).”
The 49ers wide receiver expanded his war of words on July 2, this time setting his sights on the NFL Players Association.
In a lengthy host of Instagram story videos, Aiyuk detailed his falling out with the 49ers, saying he rehabbed his knee injury away from the team, something that didn’t sit well with the team amid his lack of communication.
In an Instagram story posted on the afternoon of July 2, Aiyuk blamed the NFLPA for “sleeping on the job” ahead of his split with the organization.
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“@nflpa Can I get a fresh set of eyes on this case !! Cuz the ones on it right now obviously sleeping on the job!!!,” Aiyuk captioned in his Instagram story.
“And they saying all this because I missed rehab,” he said on the Instagram story. “No, I didn’t miss rehab – I just didn’t rehab with y’all.”
July 4: Aiyuk jabs Jayden Daniels
As Aiyuk awaits his independence from the 49ers, he took to Instagram – again – on the Fourth of July with a new and unexpected target: Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
In the Instagram post, Aiyuk claimed the Commanders were now “his team,” and took a sideswipe at the passer.
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“You’re on my team now. You follow my rules,” Aiyuk said in an Instagram story post tagged with Daniels’ account. “Boy, I’m a grown-(expletive) man, boy. You’re gonna have to stop running behind your momma, and I might believe what you’re talking about.”
Whether or not its playful banter between two former (and potential future) teammates is unclear, but what is, is that Aiyuk’s future certainly isn’t with the 49ers.
July 8: Aiyuk continues to take shots at Daniels
Aiyuk took another jab at Daniels in a July 8 post to his Instagram story. This time, the 28-year-old receiver aired his grievances about being unable to get in touch with his former college teammate.
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“He said, ‘I don’t do that Internet (expletive) bro. Hit my phone if you gotta talk to me bro. You got my number,'” Aiyuk said, ostensibly referencing Daniels. “I called (expletive), he don’t answer. Hit my phone bro. It’s important. It’s the money on the line.”
Aiyuk later posted another story that indicated he would continue to be vocal on social media as long as he remains at odds with the 49ers – and possibly beyond that.
“It be like, ‘BA and his social media antics,'” Aiyuk lamented. “(Expletive), I gotta get paid somehow, ’cause the employer holding me captive without paying. At least social media paying.”
“I’ll tell y’all what,” he added. “If I get a job back in the NFL man, I’m still gonna be on my (expletive) on social media.”
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July 18: Aiyuk sets sights on 49ers coach
It’s unclear who the coach is in Aiyuk’s latest Instagram salvo, but it may be directed towards Kyle Shanahan, who played wide receiver in college.
“Coach want me back so I can draw all the coverage and make it easy for the guys that remind him of himself back in his heyday,” he posted on his Instagram story. Aiyuk is seemingly referencing Shanahan, who played wide receiver at the University of Texas between 1999 and 2002.
It’s unclear what Aiyuk means by “guys that remind him of himself.”
Contributing: Jacob Camenker
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brandon Aiyuk sets sights on 49ers coach in latest Instagram jab
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