Brandon Aiyuk on Monday sent the portion of the internet occupied by 49ers fans into a fervor when he posted a video on TikTok that appears to show him telling Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels that the 49ers told Aiyuk they don’t want him anymore.
There are some assumptions that have to be made with the video – specifically that Aiyuk is talking about the 49ers – but it’s still much ado about nothing in regards to Aiyuk’s future with San Francisco.
Let’s operate as though he is talking about the 49ers in this video and that the team did relay that kind of message.
“They said they don’t want me back.”
– 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk to Commanders QB Jayden Daniels
pic.twitter.com/MfbBNrFUjN— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) June 17, 2024
There are a few things to take into account here.
First, this conversation between Aiyuk and his former teammate at Arizona State was being filmed. There’s also a reason it was posted online. It was aimed at drawing a reaction from fans since negotiations are likely not going great since the 49ers notoriously wait until closer to training camp to get any real movement going on a contract.
Second, it’s hard to believe the 49ers outright told Aiyuk they don’t want him. They may have told him they don’t want him at some astronomical price point, but it’s night impossible to believe they with any sincerity told one of their best players that they no longer want him on the team. That’s also the opposite of everything anyone with the club has said publicly.
If Aiyuk was told outright that the 49ers don’t want him, it’s far more likely a negotiating tactic by the club than it is a shift in their feelings about retaining the All-Pro WR.
Most of this is still following the usual negotiation playbook. Aiyuk hasn’t requested a trade (or it hasn’t been made public), and his social media still includes photos of his time with the 49ers. Those are two crucial components of the player negotiation playbook that haven’t been executed just yet.
Instead, Aiyuk went with a more aggressive social media attack that dispensed with the symbolism of hiding photos and went straight for the jugular.
It succeeded in getting some portion of the fan base to freak out. It’s hard to fathom the video having any bearing on the 49ers’ front office and their stance on what they want to pay Aiyuk. Chances are better than not that the two sides eventually come together sometime in late July or early August like we’ve seen with past deals.
Until then we’ll have to grasp onto whatever bits of negotiations reach the public. Chances are those will almost all come from Aiyuk’s social media. They’ll all be impactful in creating a reaction, but they’re unlikely to move the needle when it comes to the actual contract talks.
